


Love of two is One

by Maxkiki



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Blood and Gore, Child Death, M/M, Soldier Enhancement Program, Violence, dark themes, like the bad stuff is only in one chapter and i will give a heads up for those who wish to skip it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2018-10-19 09:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10637343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxkiki/pseuds/Maxkiki
Summary: Jack, the first alpha in his family, goes from his farm life to the military where he meets Officer Reyes, an alpha who he get's stuck living with for the entire duration of his stay in the SEP.





	1. Inaugural Day

How effortless. It's the inaugural day of the SEP and Jack had the whole squad on edge with his intimidating presence. Alphas are a rare treasure, their strong pheromones able to control those around them at will. Most were trying to ignore it, but they were pulled towards it regardless and caught all the same.

The intensity of Jack’s scent radiated from his body, the alpha wanting to establish to all these betas who’s the unrivaled individual starting from day one. He’s worked his ass off to stay at the top of the charts and he isn’t going to let a single beta get anywhere near stealing his spotlight. 

Jack’s scent pulsed with awareness as he felt his scent interrupted with one he’s never smelled before. Jack's eyes went to the door, the whole squad following his action as the scent became more pungent. Just as the door opened, Jack knew who exactly was the one with a scent strong enough to mask his own.

Officer Reyes.

An alpha with broad shoulders, a undeniably well muscled torso, and a pair of unmistakable thighs thick with muscle. The man's face had a thick jaw with well groomed facial hair, something Jack never had interest in for himself, leaving a shadow of stubble at most upon his pale skin. The officer possessed dusky tan skin with black hair, his hair curling at the edges of his undercut.

He knew he shouldn’t stare but he couldn’t help it, because whenever he tries to look away, his eyes can’t help but be drawn back to Reyes. It’s like a reflex, a kind of second nature for some reason. He had this… this…presence that demanded attention. It was just like how he looked; determined, and fierce, and terrifyingly dark. As if the man had walked his way right through hell and back. It may have just been the pheromones he was putting off but there had never been a time Jack couldn’t counter another alpha's scent with his own.

“What are you staring at, Morrison?” A growl rumbled deep within the captain's chest, quite feral for the first squad meet.

“Nothing, sir.” Jack stands at attention, his heeled boots clicking on the tile floor as he did so, just like the soldier he was.

Reyes take three long strides towards the blond before looking down. Considering Jack was a tall man, being looked down upon was a first. It may only be an inch but it sure as hell made the raven haired alpha look more intimidating. The officer’s scent exploded through the air, wrapping around Jack like a python, the betas around them quivering in fear. 

“Don't you flaunt your pheromones around me, have more self control.” The man spoke with a neutral face. His eyes, however, tell a different story: he was pissed that there was a new alpha in town with the ability to take control of his squad.

“Sorry sir!” Jack couldn't help but crack a smile. Even with the pressure of the other alpha’s scent he couldn't show a bit of weakness. Not here, not now. He's going to be blowing past Reyes in rank, his perfect record proving he could do it with alpha or, without pheromones. He tries not to use them much, but this was SEP, this was the biggest thing he’s ever done considering the whole operation was a military secret.

“You think this is funny, soldier?” Reyes snarled, his lip curling up in disgust, his moustache rising up with it.

“No sir, just happy to see another alpha. We are of a rare kind after all.” Jack gave an award winning smile. He's put it on so many times that it almost looks genuine.

Or rather, it would have if Reyes wasn't so pissed off.

“Happy my ass.” the man grumbled as he looked upon the small sea of terrified betas. Instantly the officer realized he should stop using so many threatening pheromones and sighed before standing straight, hands on hips. “First day here is for all of you to learn the base and get settled in. Go to Felix for your room numbers and scheduling. I will meet all of you in the morning, 4am sharp.”

The betas went from new home excitement to devastation when the morning training meet time was announced, everyone going their separate ways as Reyes dismissed them.

Jack was taken by surprise, Reyes went from blade to throat pheromones to a calm, businessman like professionalism within seconds. He’s got an interesting man in charge of him, that’s for damn sure.

Jack calmly made a break for Felix to get his room number before the betas formed much of a line. Felix was based in a windowed area right to the left of the squad meeting room, sitting in front of his computer with a disengaged look on his face as if he was in a cubicle for a high rise company.

“Name?” The skinny blond man with big 70’s glasses that were too big for his face glanced up as the alpha approached.

“Morrison, Jack Morrison.” Rapid typing commenced, and the man’s neutral expression wavered with confusion. “Is there a problem?”

Felix kept his eyes glued to his screen as he spoke “We have everything about you on file but it seems you were forgotten to be placed into a room.” He stopped and looked up at Jack, wearing a conflicted facial expression. “Normally we would put you in an empty room but we have recruited as many as we could hold… The only available place for you would be with Officer Reyes. He’s the only one alone in a room big enough for two.”

What was this, some motel off the highway?

Jack almost laughed at this situation. He let off a bit of his pheromones to see if that could change anything and it seems Felix was either used to it or there was nothing he could do. And with his luck it was the latter. Jack sighed with frustration but snatched the key from Felix’s hands anyways as he grabbed his belongings and headed toward the room.

Rough gray tile and smooth white walls, a strip of sky blue lining the top of the wall to make the place look slightly less like a prison. Jack went from door to door to check the numbers, passing by some of his squad members occasionally. Not many seemed interested in him as he passed by with his bags over his shoulder, a slightly irritated look on his face.

Of all the people to get stuck with, it had to be the with the one alpha that probably wanted to watch him crumble and fall back to the farm boy he used to be.

He despised how people looked down on farmers, as if they were all idiots who couldn’t speak the English language correctly. Being raised on a farm, Jack learned how to fend for himself and others. He's chased off predators that tried to prey upon his father's cattle. Jack remembers those nights, waking up to the howls of the hunt before springing out of bed to slip out his window, using a tree as a ladder down from the second floor. He ran to the stable, grab a shotgun, and swing a leg over his horse, riding out into the fields bareback. He’s always loved the thrill of the chase, the sound of his gun and the size of his horse scaring the wolves away. He would round up the cattle and settle them down again before heading back across the field where he would find his father there to give him a drink and a pat on the back. Some nights it was his mother with a small snack and some warm milk. Daytimes were always so bright, working in the fields from sunrise to sunset. Jack’s become used to the heat of the sun because of it but somehow never got any tanner.

His father used to buy a lobster every time planting season came around for the sake of making fun of Jack's skin color. His father was a great man, a military man, just like his grandfather and great grandfather. For some reason they kept going back to the farm after being on the front lines. His father said he got his fill of excitement and wanted to live a calm life afterwards.

Jack wants to be the first to break this line, he’s aiming to stay in the military his whole life. He is the first Alpha in the family and he wants to make his parents proud. They would be proud no matter what he did, and he loved them for that, but he wants to show the world that a farm boy can make it big in the world. That farmers aren't just a bunch of omegas and betas that are incapable of doing anything aside from planting seeds.

The blond wore a gentle, reminiscent smile as he used his key to open to his new room while lost in memory. This smile fades right away when an enraged officer Reyes storms over to him, the scent of sheer loathing invading the soft aura that surrounded the blond. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

Jack blinked in astonishment “They forgot to book me a room and you're the only one without a roommate already. Thought Felix would have told you.”

“There’s no way in hell they would let an-” The man growled as he placed a hand on his hip. “No way they’d let a soldier room with an officer. We can’t trust you to be here when my office is in here.”

The blond shrugged. “Because there's an extra room for me over there.”He pointed inside to a door which led to a room Reyes has used as a entertainment room.

The officer glared and go over to his phone, pointing at Jack. “Don't move.” he demanded before he began his conversation over the phone. Jack watched as he grumbled at the beta across the phone. Jack couldn’t help but listen in as the officer explained he had to be by himself because of his work, but luckily the SEP trusted Jack with his record to not cause Reyes trouble.

That also meant the alphas were stuck here together.

Jack couldn’t help but puff out his chest a bit at the other man's discouraged look, a smirk twitching up at the corners of his lips. “Didn’t I tell you-”

Reyes wouldn’t let him finish his sentence and closed the door in his face. Jack decided to sit outside the door, waiting for the man to come back out so he could force his way in. It was such a childish plan but for some reason he felt like a kid again. He wanted to give this man hell in the most classic of ways. Despite how much the officer puts out his distaste for the blond, he felt nothing but amusement. He’s never found an alpha of his caliber or higher so he wanted to test the waters.

Jack smelled a hint of worry and pressure from the room, his ears picking up the man’s footsteps rushing around. He couldn’t help but snort at the image he pictured in his head. This big, glaring alpha male worried that he was going to judge him for having a mess.

It only took a few more minutes for the officer to open the door, Jack picking his bag up again as he gave a triumphant smile. “I cleaned up the room for you.” Reyes turned around and walked inside, pointing to each door. “Bathroom. My Room. My office.” He looked back at the blond. “Don’t touch.” The man looked back and pointed a few more things out but the blond was too amused that he had to clarify not touching the office. It was like a child who didn’t want his toy touched.

“Got it?”

“Hm?” Jack wasn't listening. His thoughts had wandered to Reyes again.

“How do you have such a high record when you can't even listen for 30 seconds?” The officer went over to a couch and sat down with a sigh. “I said there's leftover pizza in the fridge. If you're not a fan go eat the slop in the cafeteria.”

Jack grinned as he scavenged the fridge for the pizza, grabbing himself a cola while he was at it. “Where do you get pizza here? I thought it was a closed facility.”

Reyes picked up a book and begin to slip through it. “You'll see tomorrow. I'm taking you guys there for training.”

Jack set his bags down and sit on the opposite side of the couch, taking a bite of the slice he took. “We going to get trained in the art of pizza making?”

Reyes looked over at the blond with a flat facial expression. “No. You're going to be-” he shut his mouth, and Jack raised an eyebrow and stared as he chewed, before Reyes grumbled. “Just get your damn room set up.”

“Aye aye, sir.” Jack stood back up, shoving the rest of his pizza into his mouth before picking his bags up once more.

 

Jack was humming along to some music he’d put on; he’s very proud of his cd collection, placing the last of his clothes in the dresser when there was a knock on his doorframe.

Jack looked over, wearing a calm face even though the scent of the other alpha put his nerves on edge.

“What are you, 70 years old?” Reyes pointed at the cd’s and Jack stood, giving a dazzling grin.

“And what are you? To young to enjoy the classics?” the blond pointed. “How can you not like Pink Floyd, Queen, or the Eagles?” He put his hands on his hips in a mocking manner. “If you don’t like Hotel California, we are going to have a serious problem, officer Reyes.”

Jack couldn’t help but stare as the most unexpected smile came from the officer who was very much unhappy with his presence just minutes ago.“Cálmese, chico sol. I just didn’t expect you to be into it. You’re plenty young, thought you would be into more high energy music.” Reyes gave a soft chuckle and Jack’s heart aches at the sight before he looked at the officer, puzzled by his words.

“I heard sun? That was Spanish, right?” The blond thought over the words. “It’s been so long since I learned basic Spanish.”

Reyes crossed his arms and lean on the doorway. “I said calm down, sunshine boy. I still have a habit of speaking it still because that’s all my mom used back home. I’ve been away for three years and I still got it in me.”

Jack furrowed his brows and use an unamused voice. “Sunshine boy? Really? It’s the hair isn’t it?”

Reyes shrugged “That, and because you’re an alpha who is blindingly bright, the center of attention on the first day. You brought one hell of a record and you were putting off pheromones like you were trying to own this place.”

Jack gave a dark grin “And what if I was? I’m aiming to be in the military until my body can’t move, might as well climb up the ladder now.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself chico. I may not have the highest military position but I sure as hell am the strongest one here.” The officer put out his pheromones, causing Jack to tense.

It was like a beast was present. The air became chilly, causing the blond to shiver as he tried to release his own to protect against the other male. He was able to fight it but in the end Jack felt like he had both a gun to his back and a knife to his throat. He swallowed hard and looked over at the officer to see dead eyes staring into him.

Jack froze as he just stared back, unmoving as if he was held in place. The officer’s eyes were cloudy yet murderous and unforgiving, empty and dark. He could feel the man look down into his soul, grabbing hold of his confidence and hope with a clawed hand. That hand began to pull, and he could feel it. Jack could feel any good emotion in his body begin to tear away, slowly, agonizingly slow. As if each was connected to a series of strings, he could feel each and every one of the strings strain to keep hold before snapping lose.

 

You’re too weak.

 

Jack's instincts were telling him that he could not win this, that he could not even fight, and that he had to escape. Feelings that he hasn’t felt in his life. He had to look strong, he had to look like he was still calm, that the other’s scent wasn’t affecting him, that this was nothing, that he was just as strong, that-

In an instant, all of those feelings were dissipated and Jack was nothing but an empty shell devoid of emotion, unsure what to feel now that the immense despair was gone.

“Didn’t I tell you? Seems like you’ve never used your pheromones before, all you did was put in one feeling and spread it as far and strong as possible. A child could do that.” Reyes began to lecture the other alpha who could do nothing but stare and absorb his words like a sponge.

“Are you saying I’m not strong?” Jack slowly began to collect himself, standing straight as he steadied his footing, ignoring the goosebumps upon his arms. “You think that I’m not worthy to be an alpha or something?”

Reyes looked the blond up and down. “You sure got the body to be great and you’ve managed to stay at the top of the charts, but who cares about that if you’re just stomping over some mere betas?”

Jack felt like he just took a blow to the stomach with those rough words, his eyes widen disbelief. A moment ago he thought this man was actually going to turn out to be a nice guy.  
It seems he was mistaken.

“Could you leave my room Officer Reyes? I’d rather you not come in here as you please.” Jack spoke quietly, knowing if he was any louder he blew his top and be at the other man's throat.

The man put his hands up to show he meant no harm “Alright, I’ll leave. It’s a bit past lights out actually, so get some rest chico.” The last word was spoken in an almost cheeky manner.

As soon as the door closed Jack turned his lights off, but instead of heading to sleep, he did a short but intense workout. Damn Reyes and his pompous ass, mocking him with his Spanish. Who the hell did he think he is, making him feel like all he’s ever worked for adds up to nothing just because he’s an alpha. Fuck that. He’s flown past the beta’s. It’s not like he’s just nearly passed them, he was ahead by a whole ten miles!

After releasing some of his frustration, Jack finally lied in bed, really hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal with Reyes anymore then he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope to have finally concluded my 'would' problem!  
> I don't know why I write this way but thank you all for pointing out anything I have missed to correct!


	2. Chapter 2

“You look like death, chico sol.” Reyes gave an amused smirk as he sipped his steaming hot coffee, watching the blond struggle with spreading butter on his not so crispy toast.

 

Jack released some angry pheromones, basically saying “fuck you,” as he bit into his food, drinking some orange juice with it.

 

“Two minutes to eat, you know where the meetup is. I’ll see you there.” The officer grinned as he left, leaving Jack tired and pissed off. He was not a morning person and he wasn’t going to start anytime soon. Even when he woke up early on the farm he hated it, but he did it every day anyways. It was no different here so Jack can’t help but wonder if he will ever get to experience the joy of what they call ‘sleeping in’.

 

\-----

 

“First morning of training, I’ll take it easy on you guys.” Reyes smiled as he looked over his irritated squad. “Come on guys, wake up! We’re going on a morning run, that’s all.” The squad groaned as they followed their officer, their feelings turning around 180 degrees as they stepped outside. Everyone's eyes shot wide open and Reyes just chuckled. “We’re going to take laps around this town.”

 

Jack rubbed his eyes and stared at the series of buildings in front of them. “I thought we were in the middle of nowhere?”

 

Reyes stood straighter “This town was built entirely for you guys. The SEP decided that it’s bad for you all to be isolated for so long, and thus, a whole town was built for your entertainment.”

 

The betas began to chatter, pointing out things here and there, all very much more excited about their stay.

 

The officer clapped his hands together “Alright, now listen up. Whoever comes in first will be able to visit this place as much as they want. Everyone else will only be able to visit on weekends.”

 

The betas’ feelings did another dramatic loop and Jack watched as they all turned to him with puppy eyes; it was nice to know that he was already seen as the leader among them. The blond couldn’t help but grin as he stretched his legs, ready for the run. “I’m not going to go easy on you guys just because you want some extra leisure time.”

 

Jack’s eyes caught Reyes laughing when the squad groaned, and once more he felt his heart squeeze tight like it was trying to warn him about something. His body became engulfed in warmth, a stiffness in his body leaving, one he had not known was there in the first place. He felt lighter, less constricted, and thoroughly confused. Didn’t this man fuck his world upside down last night?

Then why was he feeling like he’s just had a curse blessed off him by a god just by the sight of his smile?

 

“Something wrong, chico sol?” 

 

Jack flinched as Reyes spoke from behind him. “No! I mean-” he stumbled on words as he had to collect himself once more. He’d never been like this, maybe he’s sick.

 

“They got a headstart on you.” The officer pointed and Jack's eyes followed before widening in disbelief.

 

“Shit!” was the last thing Reyes heard before the blond broke into a sprint to catch up with the rest of his squad. The officer wore an amused smirk and stationed himself at a cafe located where the race started. He ordered himself a coffee as he watched Jack run, receiving a perfect sight of his back from the two storey building. As much as the alpha acted immature, Reyes couldn't help but tease him at an equally immature level. He didn't know why, he's never had a close relationship with any other person since childhood, yet Jack felt like a kid he should play with. 

“I'm going crazy,” Reyes grumbled, tipping his head up ever so slightly with his coffee mug, awaiting his squad's arrival.

 

\-----

 

“Fucking asshole and his stupid ass smile with his ‘chico sol’ Spanish nonsense.” Jack growled as he sprinted past every beta ahead of him within a minute. Each beta squeaked as they were approached due to the angry waves of pheromones rolling off of Jack's body, his eyes glaring deadly cold ice as he looked straight ahead. He didn't look back and didn't slow down. Normally he paced himself but he was too pissed. It was a good time to show that stuck up officer how strong he really was as an alpha. He blew past the betas and he planned on growing the distance between them constantly.

 

It had been a solid seven miles of running and Jack was long past everyone, his skin red as beads of sweat rolled off, dripping onto the ground. His icy gaze had melted into a calm expression; eyes half lidded with fatigue as he allowed himself to become lost in thought. This was the SEP, he had to show off his strength and the best of his abilities. The thought alone caused Jack to run faster, dig his feet in the ground with each step that launched him forward.

 

“Dig, dig, dig Morrison!” Jack heard a child's voice in his head and he broke pace for a moment before he saw a scene flash quickly in his mind.

 

He didn't see the boy but he saw himself running on the farm back home as a kid, a friend of his encouraging him. What friend, he didn't know: he didn't have too many friends when he was young because he spent so much of his free time on the farm. He couldn't help but wonder who the kid was back then, someone special enough that he actually brought them to his home.

 

The thought didn't last for long when Jack made it to the coffee shop, Reyes standing outside the cafe waiting. The blond puffed his chest out a bit with pride as he slowed himself to a stop. 

 

\-----

 

“I'm way ahead than any of the others, happy?” He panted his words out only slightly, wanting to show a run like that was nothing to someone like him.

 

“Any less and I would be disappointed.” Reyes handed Jack a key and began to walk back inside. “Here's your winner's prize. Stay here and tell me when everyone gets back, I have some paperwork I'm doing in the cafe.”

 

Jack swears under his breath.  _ He's just using me, _ he thought.  _ That piece of shit's probably eating some expensive snacks while I die of thirst. Didn't even bother getting me a bottle of water. _ Was he not impressed enough? Did he need to go faster? Was he still seen as incredibly weak?

 

Reyes purred as he smelled Jacks worried and confused pheromones. The blond was in such a weird position and he loved it. Reyes loved seeing the confident farm boy lose his conviction. It gave him a thrill so familiar it caused a shiver to go up his spine, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. 

 

Once all betas were back and accounted for, Reyes dismissed the squad to the mess hall. Jack got to enjoy staying in the fake town, but sadly not without Officer Reyes. The man hovered over him like a worried parent, and it sure as hell got on his nerves. He was  _ not  _ weak, he was  _ not  _ a child, and he could damn well take care of himself.

 

“Don’t you have paperwork to do?” The blond stopped in his tracks and looked up at the officer.

 

“Left you to finish it. Just curious where you're headed now.” Reyes spoke in a simple tone as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

 

Jack took a couple seconds to process the insanely simple answer before he started walking again. “I saw a chicken farm and garden. I wanted to check it out.”

 

The officer snorted. “Can't help but be tempted by those things can you, farm boy?”

 

Reyes had to lean back to catch his balance when Jack abruptly stopped and spun on his heel, glaring daggers at him. “Got a problem with farmers or something?”

 

“No, just thought you really like planting and raising livestock since you've been ignoring the stores around you completely.” Reyes gave an amused smile. “The government spent its money on this, the least you can do is glance at them.”

 

Jack began his walk again. “I'll look later. I don't need to have you around while I'm here anyways so why don't you just go to that pizza place or something for a bite?”

 

Reyes shrugged. “Annoying you seems fun enough.”

 

Before he could get far, Jack stopped again, this time leaking out his pheromones to show his displeasure. “Do you have a problem with me or something? You only play around with me. Every other squad member might as well not exist.”

 

Reyes’ eyes widened a bit as the blond hit the nail right on the nose. He had noticed this earlier. It was only the first day and he'd only made the effort to get to know Jack- he hadn't had a conversation with any of the other members of his squad either, let alone learn their names.

 

“It's fun.” He gave another simple answer, but Reyes was the one to turn around this time. “I'm hungry so i'll see you this afternoon for the first medical procedure.”

 

Jack watched in confusion as the other walked away at a brisk pace. What the hell was this awkwardly close officer-soldier relationship? It was like when going to a family reunion and talking to some third uncle twice removed. There was a sense of familiarity when there shouldn't really be. He’s been stuck in a place with new people, but there seems to be some sort of connection to the host. It wasn’t  like he knew anybody else here, and it wasn't like he was here to make friends. He was a soldier and that was that.

 

\-----

 

Jack walked up to the chicken farm with a warm smile on his face. He could smell the hay and the feed. It reminded him of home, and he loved it. Before he could even really search for the opening to the fence, a flock of hens ran over to him, clucking and cooing as if he had food.

 

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Hello little ladies, is there anyone around?" He smiled and squatted down, putting his finger up so they could peck curiously at it.

 

"You’re Jack Morrison, right? The alpha that caused the only other alpha here to get all ruffled up like Dexter's feathers?" A man walked up wearing grass stained overalls as he held a beautiful sunset colored rooster, the tail feathers a typical black with a dark pine colored sheen.

 

Jack gave a small laugh. "Yea, that’s me. I guess he's jealous I got his ladies attention, they seem to like me and I havn't even done anything." He put his hands up as the other man approached with the rooster. "I'm not using my pheromones to seduce any of these fine ladies, don't worry." Jack glimpsed at the man who was probably in his late 40's, well built and covered in scars.

 

The man chuckled as he set the rooster down "Ya have a fine eye for chickens there lad. Were ya a farmer before ya became famous?"

 

Jack blinked, confused. "Famous? I'm hardly anything. I only made a few records before I came here. Haven't even been allowed on the battlefield yet." He looked over at the man and decided to address the elephant in the room right away. "Is that where you got all of your scars? From military battles?"

 

The man burst out laughing to the point where he was almost wheezing, holding his stomach. Jack’s features became confused in every aspect until the man gave him a pat on the back. "Everybody thinks that when they first meet me and it never gets old." He stood straight and give a proud grin. "I got all of my scars raising animals. These chickens weren't the angels ya see now. I used to raise goats too, and let me tell you...." The man shook his head. "Those things are crazy."

 

Jack laughed. "My mom had a few goats to make cheese, they jumped all over the place and stick their horns wherever they fit, even though they couldn't always get their horns back out."

 

The man chuckled and held out a gloved hand "The names Jeffery by the way. Call me Jeff if ya like."

 

Jack felt his shoulders ease down, his muscles relaxing now that he'd shared a bit with the other man. "Then do you need some help around here Jeff?" He inspected the small area, peeking at the typical red and white coop that was behind the farmer.

 

Jeff gave a big grin, more than happy with the offer "Well I never expected one of ya soldiers to actually come and visit. I'm just here so that the food joints get fresh eggs and some basic vegetables. Any other meat they have shipped in because they don't believe me when I say I can skin anything other than a chicken."

 

Jack got down onto one knee so the chickens could circle him. "My father taught me how to skin a pig when I was about seven, and it was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done." Jack reached his hand out to pet one of the chickens, some of them flapping their wings to climb up onto his lap, one making it to all the way to his shoulder. The blond smiled fondly, his eyes shimmering with happiness as he was surrounded by the birds "It was, until he had me skin a cow."

 

Jeff chuckled. "Ya were a full fledged farmer, then. What made ya decide to choose the soldier life? Raising livestock not enough for a big, strapping alpha like ya’self?"

 

Holding one of the hens close to his chest, Jack's face straightened and he stood, closing himself off. "It runs in the family but I plan to never go back. I'm aiming to get the highest rank possible here in the military."

 

Jeff raised an eyebrow as he kicked some hay around. "And why is that?"

 

Jack hugged the hen a bit too tight, getting a peck to the nose. "I’m not one hundred percent sure..." The blond watched the hen flap its way back to the ground as he looked up at the other man. Even with his scars, he still had some handsome features. A well defined jaw, and black hair poking out of his straw hat, seems someone like him should be working a bar and not a farm.

 

"This is where I belong."

 

"Hm?"

 

"Ya were just thinking about it weren't ya? That if I didn't have these, I'd be somewhere other than a farm?" Jeff crossed his arms, his eyes telling it all in a strong, unwavering glare. He was just like Jack when it came to farmers, he hated the job to be scorned as if it was something to be ashamed about.

 

Jack grinned and puffed his chest out a bit. "Normally you don't find a pretty face on a farm, that's all." Jeffs stance faltered in embarrassment.

 

"Wait wha-?"

 

"I want to show the world that a little farm boy can make it in this world. That we farmers aren't a bunch of uneducated, talentless, useless people, and make them understand that we actually have a skill that requires a lot of time and effort that they will never be able to connect with unless they do it themselves.”

 

Jeff faked wiping away a tear “Ya have a way with words kid.” He gave the blond a hearty pat. “Ya also sound like a man after my own heart.”

 

Jack laughed and glanced at his watch. “Looks like I talked a bit longer then I thought I would. I have to catch up with my squad in the main building. See you again?”

 

Jeff picked up one of the hens and waved. “Come by anytime. Make sure ya take care of ya’self in there! I heard the stuff the doctors give ya hurts like hell.”

 

Jack nodded and jogged towards the main building, lost in thought about farming until he realized what Jeff last told him. 

 

_ The stuff the doctors give you. _

 

His pace slowed down to a walk as he took the time to think. “I thought it was just a checkup…” he said to himself, trying to remember the contract he signed when joining the SEP. “It was vague about letting the doctors treat us with how they deemed necessary but I thought it meant in emergencies.” 

 

He made it to the door and froze as soon as his hand was on the handle “Wait… Reyes said this was going to just be the first session. Are they… pumping out bodies full of drugs to make us enhanced soldiers? Is that what this program is about?” His stomach swirled with unease and he leant back against the wall, closing his eyes for a second as that unease moved up into his throat.

“You were standing there for a solid minute so I opened the door for you.” Reyes surveyed the blond up and down, his eyebrow raised. “You seem a bit pale, ran some more laps with chickens?”

 

Jack snorted as he stood, his shoulder bumping the officer’s as he walked past “None of your business.” He strode his way right into the doctor's office, and he realized he wasn’t just a little bit late.

 

He was so late that every other member of the squad had gone through whatever the hell it was already, and each one of them looked like death. He surveyed the ward with wide eyes, each beta that was up and about a few hours ago was either throwing up or bleeding from somewhere.

 

The doctors could smell the turbulent angry sea of emotions emitting off of Jack and surrounded him carefully. “Morrison, we need to give you your dose. If you would just follow us-”

 

“What the fuck is this?” the blond roared, grabbing one of the doctors by the shirt and lifting them up effortlessly. “What did you give them?”

 

“Reyes!” The doctor squirmed in Jacks hold, kicking and pulling at his arm in terror. “Reyes, help!”

 

“Answer me!” Jack tightened his grip until he heard the door behind him burst open, Reyes’ scent enveloping him before he felt the officer hit the crook of his arm and forcing him to let go of the doctor. The doctor didn’t quite run and hide like a rabbit, but it was close enough. Jack looked back at the man, his eyes full of pure, unadulterated hatred. “I thought this was a way of training, not a scientific experiment!”

 

Before Reyes could open his mouth, he was slugged in the jaw by a very unhappy Jack. “Don’t give me an excuse!”

 

The blond felt the other alpha overwhelm him with pheromones but his anger held out. He rose his arm for another swing before the officer gave him a swift kick to the ribs, sending Jack across the tile floor. “Calm down, chico sol. You missed the explanation, just wait and the doctors will tell you. Nobody here is going to die.” His last words dripped with a warning as he glanced at the doctors, his voice quiet as death.

 

The blond laughed, a scared, humorless laugh from his position on the floor. “You don’t even believe in the doctors. You’re just taking orders, aren't you?” he growled, before slowly getting to his feet.“Well I ain’t having it.” 

 

He launched himself at Reyes, tackling him to the floor. But the officer didn’t falter; with one clean sweep, he elbowed Jack in the throat, knocking the wind from him. Jack recoiled backwards, gasping for air. Before he could recover, Reyes had jumped up, wrapping thick arms around his neck and placing him in a headlock. Although Jack struggled, Reyes had him pinned firmly in place, and one of the doctors moved in to stick a hefty dose of ketamine into Jack’s elbow.

 

Jack’s struggling became slowly weaker and weaker until he went limp in Reyes’ arms, and he stood over the fallen soldier for a second before picking him up, and placing him gently down onto a bed. He scowled at the group of scared doctors and growled. “Well? You going to give him the shit or not?” Reyes sighed as he walked out of the room, the sound of scuttering doctors becoming more faint with each step.

 

He had to lie to keep everyone together, to calm down Jack. There’s no way he could promise that nobody was going to die, not without breaking that vow. 

  
Because he knew it was more likely that most of them weren’t going to make it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those of you who are actually sticking around! I appreciate any suggestions so I can improve my writing!


	3. Chapter 3

Jack woke with a groan. The sun felt too bright and he felt his body aching all over, right down to his very bones. He was in his room, must have been transferred after the incident.

 

“Finally awake, huh?”

 

He turned his head to the voice, Reyes standing beside him.

 

“How long was I out?”

 

The officer gave a playful grin. “Would you care to guess?”

 

“For fuck’s sake, you bash me in the head so I can be given drugs against my will, and you want to crack  _ jokes?” _

 

Reyes shrugged. “I don't talk to people often. Guess I'm not good at it.” He put a hand on the blond's forehead. “Seems you recovered quickly. It’s almost noon, you weren't even out for a day.”

 

The blond sat up and pushed the officer's hand away. “So do I have to raid the doctors’ office again, or will you tell me what the fuck is going on.”

 

The officer just watched him get up and stretch as he explained. “To be honest, when I joined the SEP, I did raid the doctor's office and much more. You guys have it a lot better than we did.”

 

“Lot better my ass.” Jack went through his clothes in search of something more comfortable as he contemplated what the other just said. “What did they do, keep you in boxes?”

 

“As a matter of fact, yes. They did when they believed they had to.”

 

“That must have been tough.”

 

Somber, Reyes nods. “A solid tenth of us died on the first day of the shot.”

 

Jack stood from his perch beside his bag, his eyes serious as he spoke. “What about this time…? Have we lost anybody yet?”

 

The officer shook his head. “You were all given a much smaller dose. In order to make up for it there's a bit in all the food and drinks around here. Only stuff that doesn't have it are things we officer's order. We did our time so we got proper food.”

 

“Guess I'm lucky I'm rooming with one.” Jack gave a small smile. “Think you can buy all my food for me?”

 

Laughing, Reyes rolled his eyes. “You giving me errands?”

 

The blond popped his hands through the sleeves of a sweatshirt. “Considering how much you make fun of me, I'd call it even.”

 

The officer reached up and ruffled that sunshine blond hair. “You make fun of me too, so I'd say that's not even at all.”

 

Jack snorted, a smile on his face. “Then I'll make fun of you less, deal?”

 

Reyes’ arms were crossed across his chest, his expression severe. “No can do,  _ chico sol. _ You need that shit to get stronger.”

 

Jack glared at the alpha, the words hitting a string within him. “You think I can't be strong without some drugs?” His pheromones swirled around him in displeasure. “Is that why you're so strong? Got pumped full of drugs?”

 

Reyes lashed his hand out and shoved the blond against the wall by his neck. “I’d be stronger than you even without this shit. I can snap a steel pipe between two fingers. I can shove my hand through any piece of armor to tear out an enemy's heart. I can tear a tank in half and kick anyone's ass into the middle of next week.” Jack grabbed at the officer's arm, trying to pry him off as his face changed color with the severe lack of oxygen.

 

“I may be strong because of those damn drugs but…” Reyes looked at Jack, into those beautiful blue eyes. Those eyes that could rival the beauty of both the sea and sky, currently wide with panic and pain. He let go of the blond, letting him fall to the ground to catch his breath. Reyes looked down at him for a moment before turning to leave. “I'm strong but- but with what they did to us, I can’t be called human…”

 

Jack got to his feet as he watched the man he admired walk away, his shoulders slumped down, the faint smell of sadness in his scent.

 

“Wait, Reyes.”

 

Before Jack knew what he was doing, his body had reached forward to grab the officer's wrist on its own, his mouth making words faster than he could think.

 

He realized why when Reyes turned back to him as if in slow motion. He saw the pain, the depression, the years of never shed tears within those deep, brown eyes.

 

“Tell me about it. About what you had to go through when you joined the SEP.” Jack spoke softly, as if any louder would break the alpha. Even six feet tall, built like a bull and strong enough to tear Jack’s heart from his chest, Reyes looked like he could snap any second. “I want to know, Officer Reyes.”

 

“Gabriel.”

 

The blond blinked in confusion as the man turned back to face him.

 

“That's my first name. Nobody uses it around here. Figured it would be easier for you since we're stuck together. You can go with Gabe for short, if you want.” He gave a small smile and Jack swore his heart flopped around like a beached whale.

 

“Want to uh… talk? Over some lunch, maybe. Or not, if you don’t. I mean-”

 

Jack felt his face flush, like a teenager trying to ask out his crush on a date.

 

Gabe smelled his nervousness and grinned. “I thought the first date was always a movie, chico sol.”

 

The red blush covering Jacks fair colored skin deepened as he let go of Gabe’s wrist “Stop calling me that.” he said, then shoved his hands into his pockets, glaring at the officer who couldn't help but chuckle as he walked out.

 

“I'll take you to my favorite café as an apology, how about that?” Gabe walked lightly, his whole body much more relaxed than usual.

 

Jack walked beside the officer and looked over at him. He could see the corners of his mouth curved up slightly in either excitement or relief. It was hard for the blond to believe that this man wasn’t close with anyone- sure, Gabe was a complete asshole the first few minutes he had met him, but after a little bit of talking, he was so comfortable to be around. So unnaturally comfortable that it confused Jack greatly. He was ready to surpass the very officer that was in charge of him, but the more he was around, the more he felt something familiar, almost as if they had been friends in a previous life.

 

Gabe used his key to go outside, the door giving a satisfying click as it locked itself again once they stepped out. Jack once again marveled at the sheer size of the town built in front of him, the town that wasn’t marked on any map or known to anyone outside the SEP.

 

Jack can't help but wonder if this town will rot away when the program is over. If people will ever find this secret town’s remains and wonder what its purpose was, why it was here. A nameless town, one where people are neither born nor die.

 

\-----

 

Gabe chose the window seat upon the second floor again, sipping his black coffee to keep his mind in check, preparing himself for what he was about to share.

 

Jack, on the other hand, was looking around the place like a tourist in a foreign country. He was impressed by the old wooden yet modern styled furniture. He took a sip of his caramel milkshake- a guilty pleasure that he couldn't help buying it when it looked so good on the menu. His foot tapped on its own to the soft jazz music playing in the background, matching the soft rhythm of the drums.

 

“What I'm about to tell you is highly classified. I shouldn't be telling you this, but for fuck who knows why, I'm trusting you. Even if it gets us both court-martialled.” Jack leans forward, suddenly interested. “It pisses me off a bit but I want someone else to know this because there's so few of us left alive who even remember this.” Gabe crossed his arms as he let out a sigh. “Got it?”

 

Jack focused on the officer and nodded solemnly “Tell me whatever you know about the SEP, what they did to you, and the others with you.”

 

Nodding, Gabe began with the simple information. “There were 3 times as many of us before you came in. Around three hundred people. We were all grabbed from random parts of the services, from police officers to special forces to old war vets. There was no age or ability range. We were the first test subjects.”

 

He looked into his coffee as he spoke. “I told you a tenth of us died the very first day. That means about thirty people died. Some bodies just couldn't handle it. It may just be a strength enhancer but it's much more powerful than your typical steroids. Works differently too, faster.”

 

He stretched his legs out and crossed them. “The part that makes us so strong has some sort of chemical that the average human body will have an allergic reaction to. It's like a sickness of some sort and we’re given it little by little to grow immune, and reap the benefits: strength, mostly, but there are other effects. Stamina. Speed. Increased reflexes, enhanced metabolism.”

 

Gabe gave a low laugh. “Same method doctors use for flu shots and such, give you a tiny bit so your body can get used to it. If only it were that easy, because our allergic reactions happened in our organs.”

 

Jack leaned in closer. “Shit.”

 

“It would weaken the skin that lines our organs, and they got either weak or ruptured. A good third of us couldn't stand the pain. And all but a few of the women died after the second shot because whatever it was the doctors put in that damn shot reacted badly to female hormones.”

 

He brushed his thumb across his nose. “It had a smell of death and pain, everyone's pheromones flowing out because their bodies tried screaming for help. Those who defied the doctors were put in these glass boxes so they could be studied closer like animals. You couldn't stand nor sit, just curl up because it was so small.” Gabe paused and looked up to see Jack scowling, a growl rumbling deep his his throat.

 

“Fucking monsters…”

 

Gabe reached over and ruffled the upset man's hair, an action he felt was natural. “I've never seen an alpha so mad and control their pheromones like this. I know I told you to but-” he paused yet again when he felt Jack release the floodgates: anger, resentment, the insatiable desire for revenge, all swirling in the air and giving his scent a dangerous kick to it.

 

“Sorry.” The blond realized and stopped. “Couldn't help myself.”

 

Gabe just waved his hand in dismissal before he continued. “I lost some of my memory, too. One of their tests was impact resistance, and mine wasn’t quite as good as they’d hoped. I hit my head pretty bad. Most people can't remember young childhood, and it’s normal for people to forget as years go by. But according to the people who were in my squad, it was an important time for me. I used to talk about it a lot, apparently.”

 

He gave a fond smile which soon turned foul. “I almost ended up killing some of those doctors, I was so pissed. The more shots we got, the more people died. An old friend of mine got the last women pregnant. Don’t ask me how, because they got implants to stop that from happening. But somehow she did, despite all the odds. Once the doctors found out they were pissed. Put her to sleep so they could remove the child. She woke in the middle of it apparently and she tried fighting them for her baby. But she was still cut open. Lost a lot of blood. And she bled out in a matter of seconds.”

 

Jack’s face had gone pale with the story, and he edged backwards in his seat. “And the father?”

 

“He was pissed when he found out. Managed to deck one of the doctors before he was given a lethal amount of god-knows-what drug and died on the spot.”

 

Gabe took another sip of his coffee, then leaned back in his chair. “We all died one by one until there was only eleven of us. We went from hundreds to eleven in just a few months. I never knew when I would walk in the hallway and see a familiar corpse. There were no windows. No way out. Only a few old games to play, and there were no news channels on the TV. Total isolation from the outside world.”

 

Jack stood up abruptly and slammed his fist on the table “That’s a crime against humanity! There is no way that was legal.”

 

Gabe snorted and gave him a flat look.“Think that cops are going to come arrest them in a secret government facility?”

 

Scowling, he sat back down with a pout, drinking his sweet milkshake as he glared at nothing in particular.

 

The officer couldn’t help but give a small chuckle as he watched the blond’s anger slowly slip away, a light, cheerful scent surrounding the blond as he enjoyed his sweet drink like a child discovering candy for the first time.

 

The blond raised an eyebrow in question but Gabe just shook his head “It’s nothing. I’m just feeling better to actually tell someone a bit of what the hell was the first round of us went through.”

 

Jack leaned forward on the table “What you told me isn’t even the beginning of it, is it?”

 

“It’s the gist of it. I’m not one to tell stories so I won’t get into to much detail. It’s better you don’t worry and just think about what’s going on with you. It’s supposed to be a lot more human friendly, and should hurt a lot less.”

 

Both of them froze as they heard an announcement on the intercom. “Officer Reyes and Soldier Morrison please report to training or face disciplinary action. The rest of the squad is accounted for and waiting.”

 

“Ah, shit.” Gabe downed his coffee in one gulp, then raced down the staircase.

 

“Hey! Wait for me, I forgot my key!” Jack guzzled his milkshake a bit too fast and wound up coughing as he took off to catch up with the officer.

 

“Hurry the fuck up then!” Gabe ran in place until the blond caught up, the two booking it back to the facility.

 

\-----

 

“Sorry for the wait, I was preoccupied with other matters.” Gabe said as he walked in, Jack not too far behind, falling in among the soldiers standing at ease.

 

Gabe gave out his orders to the few who were in shape after the drug for training, getting annoyed when all eyes were on someone else.

 

“Morrison? Your moustache is distracting the squad.” Gabe tapped his upper lip, and Jack went to wipe the whipped cream off his top lip with the back of his hand. He tried his best not to look embarrassed, but some of the other men around him were laughing under their breath. Gabe caught a faint hint of Jack’s embarrassment and it filled his chest with joy, it was nice to know that the normally cocky alpha had at least some vulnerability.

  
The officer calls the squad to attention once more, grinning as the atmosphere filled with calm and happy scents. “Alright now, let’s just get started. Last one is stuck with cleaning up! Go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all continue to enjoy what I'm writing! Thank you for the support so far! In the next few weeks I'm going to be taking finals and moving cross country so updates might take a couple weeks or more, sorry QwQ


	4. Chapter 4

“Come on, two more laps! Let’s go!” Jack prompted the squad to do some extra laps, wanting to keep going. It’s been a bit over a month since they started receiving the drug and he felt his body growing used to it already, his body felt lighter and he felt he could do more. 

 

The rest of the squad, though, was a different story.

 

“What are you, Officer Reyes? He said thirty and that’s all we have to do.” One of the betas panted, leaning on his knees for support.

 

“Yeah, we’re tired as hell, Mr. Alpha, so we’re going to head back as planned.” Another started heading back to the building and Jack put his hands on his hips with a scowl.

 

“Can’t do a little extra work? Don’t you want to better yourself, get stronger? That’s what this whole program is for.”

 

One of the men snorted. “Yeah well, we’re sorry we’re not strong alphas like you. We’re not looking for extra credit either.”

 

Jack gritted his teeth, hating their condescending tone “What do you mean by “extra credit”?”

 

The man gave a jeering smirk. “You live with Reyes and you always wind up being around him. I bet you don’t even know our names. You’re too interested in him, following him around like a omega in heat.” But he froze as Jack grabbed his shirt, lifting him off the ground. 

 

“You fucking say that again,” the blond growled, his pheromones infesting the air like a swarm of locusts, ready to devour everything caught inside.

 

“Come on, one more time. Nich-o-las.” He drawled out the name to prove he knew it, each syllable dripping with deadly venom.

 

Nicholas shook with fear, the other betas around him backing off. Jack couldn’t help but feel proud that his pheromones had gotten stronger, and he puffed his chest out just a bit more as he threw the beta to the ground. “Who’s the omega?! Huh?!”

 

Out of instinct, the beta’s mind went to fight or flight. 

 

And he made the mistake of choosing fight. 

 

He jumped and tackled Jack to the ground, kneeing him in the stomach as he threw a punch at his face. But Jack gave a roar of anger as he blocked the punch, his pheromones making the air thick with rage, laced with bloodlust. He threw the beta off, the rest of the squad moving away for fear of getting tangled in the fight.

 

Nicholas landed with a painful grunt, his eyes wide with fear. He was almost crying but his body kept going, trying to defend against the alpha. He ran towards Jack and just as he was about to strike again his vision blurred and he saw stars.

 

Jack snarled and leaned in close to his ear. “Don’t call me weak in any way ever again, or you’ll have a lot more than a few broken bones.”

 

He pulled his fist back, landing blow after blow. He could have easily broken a few ribs, but nothing could hold him back when he’s in this state.

 

“Who’s the omega now, you little bitch?!” The blond kicked up dirt at the other, getting the rest of his anger out. “Huh?! Answer me-”

 

_ “Jack!” _

 

Snapped out of it, he became as still as a statue as he felt his arms get pinned behind him, an all too familiar scent surrounding him and calming his nerves. He hung limp as he looked back to see Gabe wearing a scowl, but he could still trace worry in those deep brown eyes.

 

“Nick!” A member of the squad, Chad, had returned with medical supplies, patching up anything they could see before carrying him out. For some reason Jack couldn’t help but feel envy; the two were obviously close. It reminded him of his mother patching up his father after a day's work on the farm, the same compassionate look in the man’s eyes. Guilt started to swirl in his stomach at the thought of hurting someone's mate. He didn’t say or do anything, just let himself get lead away until he was placed on a bench outside of the café he was a regular at.

 

“Are you going to tell me what happened? I heard from the squad, but I want to hear from you.” Gabe stood in front of him, arms crossed. When Jack didn’t speak up he pulled a walkman from his pocket and placed headphones over Jack’s ears, playing an old song from decades ago.

 

_ There's a feeling I get _

_ When I look to the west, _

_ And my spirit is crying for leaving. _

_ In my thoughts I have seen _

_ Rings of smoke through the trees, _

_ And the voices of those who standing looking. _

_ Ooh, it makes me wonder, _

_ Ooh, it really makes me wonder. _

 

They sat together and Jack leaned back, sighing as he got lost in the music. It didn’t take very long for the two to become music buddies; they alternated playing their classic CDs in their shared room. Sometimes Jack borrowed the officer’s walkman, enjoying the scratchy sound cassette tapes gave as he went for runs.

 

He took the headphones off his head and placed it on his neck, turning up the music so they could both hear as they looked upon the fake town. It was nice and calming to just do this. They didn’t say anything, just relaxed, their shoulders bushing together now and then as their breathing eventually synced. It was a habit that Jack had to calm himself down, focussing on someone calm and let all tense energy seep out of his body.

 

Jack turned to Gabe, his chest rumbling with a hum. His eyes softened as he took this chance to look at the officer. Gabe had his shoulders slumped down a bit, relaxing as he looked straight forward, getting a nice view of the contours of his face. Such a nice jawline and prominent cheek bones. He couldn’t help but feel something stir in his chest, a somewhat familiar feeling that seemed so new at the same time.

 

Gabe looked over and noticed Jack’s soft gaze. “Dios mío…” He couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp as he felt those angelic blue eyes consume him. Jack made him feel alive again, like he was more than a drugged up monster ordering people around. He both loved it and hated it. But he couldn’t let this get in between him and his job. It was probably the most childish way to break the feeling, but Gabe still did it.

 

“What the fuck….?” Jack leaned away as Gabe pushed his face to look a different direction.

 

“Quit staring, chico sol. It’s annoying.”

 

Jack just huffed, used to the name by now. “Why would I stare at your ugly mug?”

 

“I’m not a mug.”

 

The blond raised an eyebrow. “It’s an expression, I’m talking about your face.”

 

Gabe pointed to the cafe sign “Jack, this is a mug.”

 

“No I-”

 

Gabe pointed insistently “This is a mug!”

 

Jack looked at the officer, clearly perplexed that they were having this conversation. He didn’t even know what to say when Gabe had such a sincere face on.

 

Gabe erupted laughing. “You really thought I was serious?!”

 

Snorting in reply, Jack gave a soft jab to his arm. “Hey don’t fuck with me like that!”

 

After the two got their laugh out they finally got around to their original topic. “So you  _ really  _ hate being called weak in any way, huh?” Gabe put his walkman away as they spoke, getting up for a walk.

 

Jack stood and exhaled softly. “Yeah ever since I was a kid I was looked down on for being a little ol’ farm boy. People just thought I was an illiterate who played in the mud because I was to stupid to do otherwise.”

 

The two began their walk around town, and Jack just let it all out. “I hated it. People would think I was an omega because they couldn’t smell through the farm smell, apparently. I hated it, and I got into a lot of fights because of it. My best friends were the animals on the farm, my dog and my horse, all the livestock too. I rode my horse to school and people made fun of that until I would jump over the kids on him. I had fun seeing them freak out. He was a great horse.”

 

Gabe snorted. “Did you really do that?”

 

Jack nodded and laughed. “Yeah I got in trouble for it and the teachers called my parents. My dad rode to school with me the next day and leapt over all of us! The face on my teacher was priceless! He lectured her on how well trained our horses were about how they would never land on the kids unless commanded to.”

 

“So you could have squashed those kids?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, I could have. But I’m pretty sure they would sue my pa, so I just circled them and stuff, taking advantage of my height to look down on them.”

 

“You sound like a dick.”

 

“Hey, by high school they got cars and raced off, flipping me the bird.”

 

“And you let them get away with that?”

 

“No I led the horse to jump from car to car in the parking lot. Even broke off a mirror once, hoof prints everywhere.” Jack did a spread out motion with his arms and Gabe howled with laughter.

 

“You were such a punk! That’s amazing!”

 

Jack grinned and snapped his fingers into finger guns “Still am. Everyone hated me for it but every time they called me out they made it sound like it was because I’m a farmer that I did all this. I got the highest grades and they still called me an idiot. I’ve won against them in every sporting event and they still called me weak. Once my alpha pheremones kicked in things got a bit better, but only with the ladies.”

 

His expression turned grim. “So many of them just wanted to get in my pants…. One even tried pushing herself on me, made me start to hate being around them. They treated me like an object created just to birth more alphas.”

 

Gabe sighed. “I wish I remembered my school days, I got a few snippets of high school memories but the rest are just gone… But that sounds rough. Did you have any friends at all, in any year?”

 

Jack smiled softly. “There was one, he was some kid who visited for the summer with his family. He was an alpha too, city kid like you, forgot their name. They stayed at a motel on the edge of the grazing fields. One of the calves ran past the border when it was playing and ran into the kid. They were so surprised to see me riding a huge horse when I was as tall as they were.” He gave a chuckle. “I think they were a few years older than me, I was in 6th grade, maybe, and they were in 8th? They were fascinated by how the farm works and it was pretty fun. He taught me basketball and I taught him how to ride a horse. We raced around the fields and played pirates and stuff in the forest and by the river.” He turned back to the main building. “But you probably don’t care about all that mushy crap. Let’s grab something to eat before we head back. You have to write a report about my fight don’t you?”

 

Gabe groaned “Yeah. I do. Thanks a lot chico sol.”

 

Jack laughed and copied the other “You're welcome, amigo.”

 

\-----

 

“Don’t you cry no more!” Jack played an air guitar as another old song played through the speakers, he didn’t like to many songs by Kansas but the ones he did were just  _ too  _ good to not. He went around playing invisible instruments, having fun on his own as Gabe did his paperwork in his office. Turning the music up, he jumped on the couch, bobbing his head up and down with the guitar riff and acting like the living room was his stage. He kicked some empty soda cans off the coffee table and hopped onto it as he sang. It was a sight to see but nobody was present to see it. 

 

He wound up slipping on a magazine and fell, breaking the coffee table with a loud crash, his eyes going wide as he heard the bang of a door open.

 

“Jack!” Gabe was frustrated that he couldn’t even do paperwork peacefully and now he was looking at a mess of soda cans everywhere, Jack sitting in the center of a broken coffee table.

 

“Hi…” The blond waved from his spot before shifting a bit “Ah! It’s poking my ass now!” He jumped up and turned the music low, getting a blow to the head. “Ow!” he growled, but went silent at the glare he was receiving.

 

“Are you twelve years old?” Gabe put his hands on his hips, ready to give a lecture.

 

“I just drank a few sodas…”

 

“How many is a few?”

 

Jack looked at the ground. “Three. No, four. Maybe. I lost count.”

 

The officer sighed and pointed to the table. “Just pick it up. I thought the doctors told you not to intake so much sugar on days you took the drug? Do you want another incident?”

 

The blond picked up the pieces of wood like an obedient child. “No, I won’t chase people around with chickens anymore.”

 

“Go for a run while I finish my paperwork, okay?” Gabe said as he went back into his office. Jack put the last of the broken shards in the trash and head out. He knew it was a bad idea to drink that much soda but it had just gone so well with pizza that he couldn’t help himself. It was weird how the drug seemed to turn the sugar into direct adrenaline when it’s still pumping through the body. He didn’t question it, wasn’t much he could do about it anyways.

 

So he went where he always did when he needed to blow off steam.

 

“Hey Jeff!” Jack went up to the old farmer who gave a big smile at the sight.

 

“How ya’ doin’, Jackie? Marie has been missing you.” The man pointed to a hen that ran up to him right away, clucking as she pecked at his shoe for attention.

 

Jack laughed. “I got a bit too much energy right now so I’m just running around town.” he picked up the hen and pet her. “I’m flattered that such a pretty girl’s waiting for me.”

 

Jeff chuckled in reply. “When ya’ got a vacation of some sort, ya’ wanna take the girl home? Ya’ Ma and Pa still got a coop?”

 

“I’d love to, Ma would love Marie. Not sure if the program really gives vacations though.”

 

“Maybe, depends how the wars goin’ an’ how much they want ya’.”

 

Setting Marie back down, Jack gave the chicken a peck on the head. “Later, baby girl.” He looked up at the moon in the sunset colored sky. “Well I’m gonna run a bit before heading back to sleep. See you around!”

 

Jeff waved. “See ya’ mister smooth talker! Marie’s smitten with ya’!”

 

Jack chuckled at that before he ran off, humming to himself. His mind wandered as he remembered the days on the farm with his one and only city friend from his childhood, whoever that kid was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> High five to those who like my mug joke. Songs that were listened to are Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin and Carry on my Wayward Son by Kansas.


	5. Chapter 5

“Have fun honey!” Claire hummed as she placed a sweet kiss on Johnny's lips, the man giving a broad smile as he gave her one last hug. 

“I will, you should come next time!” 

The woman laughed and pushed some of her golden blond mane behind her ear, her hazel eyes shining with happiness. “You know I’m terrible at billiards!” 

The man ran a hand through feathery brown locks, letting out a hearty laugh as he got in the truck. “It’s just for fun sweetie, no pressure.” he looked at her with soft blue eyes before his gaze went to the approaching boy. “Think you’ll play billiards with your Pa when you're older?”

“Yeah!” The boy beamed and the couple chuckled. Johnny ruffled the boy’s sunshine blond hair from the truck's window and his wife placed her hands on the boys shoulders. “I’m making pork roast for dinner, so don’t drink too much with the guys.”

The man rubbed his stomach “Mmm, no way I’m missing that.” He started the vehicle up and waved. “Jackie, take Silver n’ the dogs around ta make sure the cows don’t go to far off the property okay? The grass is nice n’ tall by that motel and I don’t want no sightseers feeding them anythin’ bad.”

“I will, Pa!” The boy waved as his mom gave the boy a kiss on the forehead. 

“Make sure the cows are back in the barn before dinner, and that there's enough feed and water too.”

Jack pouted. “I know! I’m not a kid no more, Ma!” 

The women laughed. “I know, you’re a big boy now. I’m going to get back to cooking, move along now.”

The boy nodded and ran to the stable, Silver trotted in place with excitement as he went over to the white horse. “Hey boy.” Jack rubbed the horse's neck and received a puff of air in the face as a response. Jack was glad he was tall for his age, most people were still in upper 4 foot but he stood at a good 5 feet 9 inches. Every bit helped to jump up on such a tall horse, he needed a step stool until he hit 4th grade, and now he could swing his leg over with ease.

“Giddyup!” Jack held onto the reins, his boots fitting perfectly in the stirrups. He wanted to learn bareback riding but his father said not until he hit high school. He would be 14 in a month and that would mean he was halfway done with middle school, and just two more years until he can start bareback. Just as he rode out of the barn he gave a sharp whistle, calling the dogs. They had one German Shepherd, one Australian Shepherd, and two Border Collies. With just a few whistles they knew what to do and followed the horse as he galloped around the side of the herd. Now and then, the cows are tempted to run towards the corn fields but Jack was quick to stop them.

One of the new calves bounded away from the group, curious about exploring the new world. Just as Jack was going to give one of the dogs a whistle command he realized there was a person in the path the calf was headed.

“Watch out!”

Jack tugged on the reins and the horse changed course. Whoever it was in the way, they fell back into the grass with surprise. Fear struck them; like most people, they’d never had a animal charging at them before, and they closed their eyes as they waited for impact.

The calf veered away from the person at the last second at the sound of a large animal coming its way, running back to its mother in the herd. Jack tugged again with a soft “Woah there,” and the horse slowed to a trot up to the person.

“You okay?” Jack looked down to see a kid he has never seen before, maybe his age or a bit older. They had a tan shade of skin and messy short black hair, a smokey brown in the sunlight. They wore a clean pair of jeans and a shirt with the NBA logo in bold colors.

It took a second for the boy to push down the adrenaline from moments ago, the ceased hoof noises reassuring him that he wasn’t in any danger. With this relief, he slowly opened his eyes as he looked up at the voice. He squinted as the sun bore down straight into his eyes but as soon as they adjusted he was taken back in awe. His eyes went wide as he took in the sight of angelic golden hair and concerned blue eyes, so pretty he was so sure they were sparkling. They had fair skin with a pink tint, bruises and dirt covering it here and there. Torn, battered jeans with holes at the knees and a worn-out red t-shirt. Despite all the imperfections, he thought for a moment that an angel was sitting upon that white horse rather than a farm boy.

“Yeah I'm fine, does this happen a lot on farms?”

Jack hopped down and put a hand out to help the boy up. “Usually I can catch any strays from the herd. I should've called Rocky over.”

The boy took his hand and stood up to be a few inches taller than Jack. “Rocky?”

The blond nodded. “The German Shepherd, he's the fastest dog we got. Ya on a family trip at the motel out back?”

“Yeah, my mom wanted out of the city for summer so we’re here for a while.” He looked over at the farmer. “Think I could ride your horse?”

 

Jack frowned “Ya ever rode one before?”

“Nope.”

“No can do.”

“How about feed the cows? Or milk them? Maybe collect eggs from the chickens? Or even grow some stuff?” the boy asked with a straight face, not wanting to show excitement to a total stranger but didn't want to seem underexcited either.

Jack stared at the boy in bewilderment- not a single person he’d met has ever been interested in how a farm works. After processing this fact a smile spread on his face and he took the boys hand. “I’ll show ya!” The blond gave a few whistles and the dogs started to round the cows back to the barn.

Jack jumped back onto the horse and he held his hand out to the city kid. “I’ll let ya ride as long as yer behind me.”

The boy looked up at the blond who smiled down at him so sweetly, he took his hand without hesitation. “Mama! Voy a la granja!” 

A women and two girls peeked out of the apartment across the field, the mother giving a concerned look. “Ten cuidado cariño!”

“Um….” Jack gave a confused look and the boy laughed. “It’s Spanish, I just told her where I’m going and she said to be careful.” The boy looked over at the barn. “The cows are almost in, let’s catch up to them!”

Jack grinned “Hold on tight then!” 

As soon as he felt the other boy's arms around him he took the reins and dug his heels into the side of his horse. Silver took off at a full gallop. Jack would’ve commanded a run but he was pretty sure the city kid would fall off. Now that he thinks about it, he didn’t really have a name did he?

“Hey wha-” Jack turned to ask but he stopped when he saw the big smile of the kids face, his eyes glittering with excitement as the wind blew back his wavy curls. As soon as he met eyes Jack stuttered as he asked “W-what’s yer name?”

The boy’s smile faded into a more neutral face. “Gabriel. Gabriel Reyes. You can call me Gabe.”

The blond smiled. “I’m Jack! Jack Morrison!” He pulled on the reins as they slowed to a stop. Jack hopped off and give a few whistles as the dogs corralled the cows into the barn’s stalls, he followed to close the gates and lock them. When it was done he gave another whistle and the dogs gathered around him as he pet them all. “Good job guys!” he laughed as he got licks and happy yips.

Gabe watched with awe at how well the boy could control the mass of animals with some simple whistles. The horse looked back at the city kid, and let out a huff before walking to their stall.

“Woah!” Not knowing how else to stay on, he hugged Silver’s neck until the horse stopped inside his stall. Jack laughed, amused by the action.

“He brought ya there because ya can use the gate to get down easier.” He held out his hand again and Gabe took it, jumping down. Right away he looked around the barn in awe of the size, but soon crinkled his nose at the smell.

“Ya said ya wanted to know about farm stuff, right?” Jack picked up a shovel as he smiled at Gabe who just nodded in response. “Why not do farm stuff then?” He held out the shovel and Gabe nervously accepted it.

“What kind of farm stuff?”

“Shovel up cow poop!” 

The blond beamed, but he received no reaction from Gabe, save from looking around. He walked over to a pile of manure and stuck the shovel under it.

Jack blinked in surprise. “Wait… Yer actually doin’ it?”

The boy just looked back. “Why wouldn’t I?”

The blond rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s gross? And ya ain’t gettin paid for it?”

“I’m helping the farm this way though, right?” Gabe looked at the blond seriously and Jack helt his heart skip a beat.

“Y..yeah.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

It took a few minutes of watching the boy he just met to shovel smelly, dirty, crap into a barrel for him to ask “Why do ya want to help? Shouldn’t ya be resting on a family vacation?”

Gabe set down the shovel and give a small smile. “Back in the city you don’t see much of this. I love plants and animals. They’re so rare that I can’t help but be interested in them so I thought it would be nice to take care of them while I’m here.”

Jack was nothing but impressed by this city boy’s mindset; he wasn’t like anybody he’s met before. “Then let’s do somethin’ more fun!” He waved the boy over and picked up a bag of feed. “Pick up one of these an’ we pour ‘em in the trough for the cows to much on.”

As soon as Jack began, Gabe mirrored the action, the cattle all sticking their heads through the metal bars to eat. He was happy to see the large animals up close, he carefully raise his hand and pet one as it ate.

Jack turned to see this and he felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the other boys smile, it was so tender and sweet.

“Wanna have dinner with me?”

“Huh?”

Jack blushed, it was the first time he’s invited someone into his home. “My Ma’s making pork roast. It’s real tasty an’ my Pa’s gonna be home soon. He could tell ya more about the farm.”

The city boy’s eyes shined with interest and he smiled. “Sure! Want to play basketball when we’re done?”

Jack just rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know how ta’ play.” Gabe just walked over and pat the boys back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to play like a pro.” He gave a confident grin which the blond returned. 

It was the first time Jack felt like he could really be friends with someone, no backstabbing and no making fun of his way of life. He was young and awkward about it but he felt happy as if he was out with the animals. He felt comfortable for once instead of hostile, he wore a smile rather than a glare. It was a first for him and he didn’t mind it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect more happy farm days!  
> EDIT:  
> But not in the next chapter! WARNING for when dark themes come into play, happy farm times will resume afterwords!


	6. SEP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =WARNING=  
> THIS IS WHERE THE DARK THEMES/GORE/AND DEATH OCCUR.  
> If you cannot handle such themes, it is OKAY to skip this chapter, the next one will be more happy farm times, so please wait just a bit longer for that! Thank you all for reading!

“Help!”

A girl clawed her way across the ground, nothing but sheer terror on her face. Her eyes were wide as they could stretch, tears rolling down dirt slathered cheeks as her arms shook with the effort of pulling her own weight, a thick trail of blood marking her path. She knew, and she was horrified, that she was about to die before her life even really started.

The girl cried out again, looking back at the empty space where both her legs should be.

He didn’t have to save her. It was never part of this mission. But Gabe is human, and there was no way he could let a child die. He was in the middle of gunfire, landmines, and corpses. This girl would just be another one to run by during battle. 

And still he couldn’t do it.

“Hang on, I’ve got you!” Gabe picked the girl up by her torso and ran to cover, pouring whiskey from his flask onto her wound and getting a cry of pain in return. The soldier took the tourniquet from his pocket and tied it tight over the stumps of her legs. 

No, he didn’t know this girl, but she was an innocent. And she looked like one of his sisters when they were younger, though it was hard to tell beneath all the blood.

“Thank you, oh god thank you!” the girl cried, holding onto the soldier with what strength she had left, her fingers bloodied from crawling across who knows what. “Please help me leave! Please, don’t leave me here, pl-”

Just as Gabe was going to reassure the girl the loud sound of a chopper was heard, accompanied by the roar of missiles going off.

“Reyes! Get on, now!” a woman’s voice boomed, surprising him as the helicopter hovered close to him. The government's logo is emblazoned over the side, so he knew he was getting to safety. This was also a chance for the girl to survive. 

He supposed he would’ve questioned this otherwise. A soldier being picked up in the middle of battle without being injured? No orders to retreat? And only him? 

Unheard of.

He held the girl tight and jumped in. The copter veered up right away to avoid collateral damage from the battle, and before he knew it, he was far from the battlefield, the girl passed out on the floor.

The women looked him in the eyes. 

“Soldier Reyes, as an alpha we need you to partake in a classified operation. You will be assigned for six months to train in this specialist program. As you must be aware, we are not going anywhere on the battlefield, and this is our only way to win.”

She pulled out a gun and pointed it at the girl's head without hesitation. She rolled her eyes at Gabe’s horrified look, sliding the safety off the pistol. “We’re dropping you off in a confidential location, and we can’t risk civilians being privy to our secrets.”

Gabe’s eyes widened. “Can’t you just blindfold her or something?”

The woman took the shot. Gabe shouted something unintelligible in protest, paralyzed in terror by the sight of the dead girl in his arms. 

“I’m busy, Reyes,” the woman said. “Besides, she’ll die before we stop by somewhere that has help. It was better to end it now. Drop her Reyes, now.” 

Unable to think, he just reacted to orders and laid the girl on the floor of the helicopter. With a clinical kick from the woman, the girl's corpse was sent back out of the copter, landing to become a bloodstain that even her own mother wouldn’t recognize.

With all this happening so fast, Gabe had nothing to do but to accept it. This was his job, obeying orders. No, there was no room for much emotion here, but this was ridiculous.

“Who are you?” was all he could say, venom dripping from his own voice before he felt an ocean of alpha pheromones surround him.

“You can call me Jennifer. I am the head of this project. You will not see a higher ranking officer than me until you finish the program.”

And with that, he was dropped off at a cement building with no windows, and only one entrance. This was the beginning of living hell.

 

“What the hell did you give us?”

“She’s dead! You fucking murderers!”

“Let us out! We’re not animals!”

The lab was filled with shouts, screams, and the banging against bars of everyone who was still alive, who still had energy, who still had the will to fight back.

Just like a grocery store, they were lined up by Alpha, Beta, and Omega. There were tags on their cells with barcodes which they scanned with the same bland, unamused look of any cashier. Those black lines gave them information about them, their health, mental and physical state. In true stereotypical fashion, the doctors wore those white coats, and every person still alive glared from inside their cells.

The ones who tried to attack the doctors were left in tiny glass boxes big enough for the person to only curl up in, or maybe crawl a few inches if their body was on the smaller side. The people who died weren't even taken out, just left to rot where they lay. It was worse than the battlefield; how could this possibly help them win the war?

“Be quiet!” one of the older men shouted, his voice worn with age but firm enough to lead a fleet of soldiers onto the field. “This is nothing but our duty. If we do not carry it out we will be punished. Anyone who objects might as well be a traitor. You’ll be lucky you’re not shot on the spot!”

With the man's words people quietened down, accepting that the small cell was their new post, and the ones who didn’t still complained. When night rolled around, everybody was groaning in pain, whatever was in that shot was not agreeing with anyone's body.

 

A few months later the women started dying off, the unlucky couples in this hellhole leaving a man so broken they didn’t have the will to even live.

“Hey… How is she?” Gabe leaned over to the man eating beside him. They had very little time to talk among themselves and meals were the most of it.

“She’s… hell, she’s holding up.” The man, David, gave a worried smile.

“She’ll make it. She’s strong.” Gabe gave his one friend, the man from the cell next to his, as much comfort as he could. He was in a relationship with the woman, Alicia, across from them even before this happened. She got pregnant while in the facility, and Gabe was the only one they trusted with this information. Being alphas, they wound up being in the same squad and talked together.

“Oh so there is one female left. Stay strong girlie, got to show the men we can get through this too. Beat the genetic lottery, be the one to survive!” Jennifer gave a bright, businesslike smile. “Be that one mutant gene that can push through, alright?”

Alicia could only give a weary smile in return. “Alright…” 

As soon as Jennifer turned away she winced in pain, putting a hand over her stomach. David rubbed her back. “You can do this, babe, we’ll be out soon.”

“I never thought I would get used to the smell of corpses,” she whispered. 

David only scrunched his nose. “Me neither…. Everyone's pheremones are out of whack except for the alphas.”

Gabe put some of his food on Alicia's plate, wanting to change the subject. “You need more than that for what you’re carrying.”

“Thank you, Gabriel.” She ate the much needed extra food, and Gabe gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry about it. We’re the strongest alphas here, there's no way they’re going to let us die.”

David grinned. “And you have to find that farm boy again right?”

Gabe nodded. “Yeah… He’s probably just getting out of high school, starting college maybe? Wherever he is, I hope he’s got more friends than his farm animals.” He gave a small smile. “We’re getting out. We just got to help each other out in this shitshow.”

 

“Gabriel!” David ran to the unconscious man.

“What the hell was that?! Why is this a test?!” Alicia did her best at running over, trying to stop the bleeding of his head. “All you did was hit him with a wrecking ball! One used for destroying buildings! It’s not a weapon!”

The doctors just wrote down information. “Seems our best subject couldn’t handle maximum output. How disappointing. I’ll humor you, since you’re the last female. We wanted him to be strong enough to stop the ball on his own. Since it seems he flew back and received a fatal head injury, we will scrap this test. Back to your cells.”

David threw Gabe over his shoulder and took Alicia’s hand. “We’ll take care of him before they lock the cells, let’s hurry.”

 

“What was he like?”

“You said he was blond. Blue-eyed. As far as we know he stole your heart with some cheesy farm lines and romantic farm stuff,” David chuckled.

“And they kissed!” Alicia added with a giggle.

“We did?” Gabe gasped.

“You never said that, this girl is just thinking up some romantic shit from her soap operas.” The couple quieted down when Jennifer walked in and Gabe made eye contact with the woman, her eyes traveling to the makeshift bandage on his head. He broke the intense gaze to try and relearn about himself.

“What was his name? Did I ever mention it?”

“Not really. Pretty stereotypical dream boy, almost like an angel sent from the sky. You sure it was real? We can’t really help with the whole memory loss thing if that’s the case.” David joked but his smile faded once Jennifer made it to their lunch table.

“Oh, now is not the time for you to be smiling. We’re taking your girl into custody. It seems you two broke the rules.”

David wrapped his arms around Alicia and put out a dangerous amount of pheromones. “I will not let you touch her.”

Jennifer only smiled, that obnoxious business smile “I’m afraid you don’t have the power to do that. You think we wouldn’t notice her showing after four months?”

Gabe stood up and put out his own air, rivaling Jennifer's which was brimming with confidence.

With the snap of her fingers they were all given a shot by a tranquilizer gun, the two men doing their best to cover Alicia as they blacked out.

 

“Oh look, he’s awake! Our strongest alpha has decided to grace us with his presence,” Jennifer chirped. “You get to watch Alicia's operations from here! How exciting it is to watch the birth of life ruined because it just wasn’t meant to be.” Her everlasting smile finally grew dim, her face contorted with rage. “It is not in our budget, and it ruins the experiment results.We’ll have to re-document everything!”

Gabe blinked a few times to clear the grogginess out of his eyes. The sight of Alicia tied down to a table assaults his eyes, a doctor cutting into her stomach. He spun his head around and saw David tied up next to him. “David! David, you need to see this! Wake up!” he shouted desperately. “We need to help her! DAVID!” 

He released more pheromones than he ever had in his life, impressing the doctors to distract them from their previous task. 

More importantly, it woke David.

“Alicia!” 

He began to struggle in the bonds right away, Gabe doing the same. Jennifer just laughed at them as if it was the funniest thing she has ever seen in her life.

Alicia woke up and began to cry and scream as they cut through her body and soon enough the underdeveloped baby could be seen, barely recognisable as human. “Give me back my baby!” she thrashed, causing herself to bleed all over the operating table, a puddle of crimson developing on the floor. “Give it back! Me and David made that together, it’s OURS!”

Gabe jerked his body and manage to fall against David, and with this he grabbed a chain in his mouth and bit down. The metal shattered in his mouth and it was all David needed to break loose and punch the doctor holding the scalpel used to cut her open. The man died instantly, his skull crushed in from the force of the punch, his body sent crashing into the equipment. 

“Alicia!” David reached for her but he was tackled by a mass of bodies, injecting him with something to calm him down.

“David…” The women reached down from the table, her hand shaking as it grazed Davids before falling, the heart monitor flatlining.

“Alicia…” The man’s eyes teared up as they closed slowly, his breathing slowing before it stopped.

“You….You killed them.” Gabe looked at the horror before him that happened in only a few seconds. “You killed them both, you bitch!” He tried to bite his own chains but Jennifer just gave him another shot. “Don’t worry Gabbie, you’re my favorite! You may be the only one to live, so quieten down now. Ssh,” she whispered, “go to sleep, sweetie.”

The man snarled, glaring with the eyes of a man ready to face death. “You’ll pay for this someday, you fucking- hijo de puta!”

Jennifer only smirked as Gabe faded into unconsciousness. “Oh how I love the new nicknames you’re giving me...”

 

“Evacuate the remaining subjects! Make sure you get Reyes!” Jennifer was shouting over the intercom as the sound of helicopters and guns rang out. “The government is shutting us down! Escape with as much information as you can! We can rebuild our work elsewhere! We can-” 

The intercom got cut off and none of the doctors were listening to her, just running for their lives. They were only in this for the money; they didn’t really care about this whole experiment one bit.

It wasn’t soon before they were all killed or put in cuffs. An explosion took down the wall of Gabe’s cell, and he saw sunlight for the first time in almost a year. It was so bright, so pretty, so warm. He was enjoying the moment even as gunfire tears the air around him, doctors running for their lives. It was all blocked out. 

Gabe sat down, enjoying the view in silence.

What broke this trance of happiness, however, was a certain bitch crossing his vision.

Jennifer.

With a loud roar, Gabe unleashed his pheromones, stopping her in her tracks. She turned and give the smile of a mother to her child, terrifyingly creepy. “My most proud achievement… Gabbie, you-”

She was stopped when a fist met her face. Gabe had launched himself at her at an alarming speed, his feet planting themselves in the ground right before he reached her, letting him put more weight into one sturdy punch. One deadly punch.

He glared as he looked at her corpse, her head smashed in like David had done to the doctor all those months back.

“I… I got revenge for you buddy. For Alicia too.” He took a couple of broken bars from the cell, making a makeshift gravestone by their shared cells. “Descansen en paz, mis amigos.”

The government agents took the remaining survivors, Gabe and a handful more escorted back to the main base to discuss everything that had gone down. It was hard for all of them, but those still fit for duty were promoted and put in charge of the next round of the super soldier program. This time the place wouldn’t be the reaper’s vacation home, it wouldn’t be another hell on earth. It was going to be as pleasent as an experience as they could make it.

This time, nobody was going to die.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More happy farm times! The last for now but I might add in a couple of farm adventures now and then!

As soon as Jack opened the door he wiped his shoes on the mat inside. 

“Hey Ma?” he called as Gabe mirrored the action.

“Yes Jackie?”

“Mind if a friend joins us for dinner?” Jack heard a clang and instantly ran over to the kitchen door. “You okay Ma?!”

The women looked at her son, eyes wide. “Did I hear you right?” Jack looked at her, confused, realizing the sound was just her dropping a spoon on the floor.

As soon as Gabe peeked through the doorway the women gasped and a smile spread over her face. “Oh my god, hello there!” She went over and looked at Gabe carefully. “Do you go to school around here?”

The boy shook his head. “No, I’m from the city Miss Morrison. I’m on vacation with my family at the motel behind your farm.”

Just as Claire was about to speak, the sound of a rumbling engine could he heard. “Your father’s home! Hurry and wash up before we eat!” 

She gave one last smile before going outside in a rush.

As Jack showed Gabe around, they washed up and set the table as Jack’s parents spoke outside.

“Johnny! Johnny! Jackie brought a friend home!” Claire ran up to her husband as he stepped out of the car, throwing her arms around him. The man laughed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Did he really? Is it ‘nother animal he found in the woods?” the man chuckled as his wife gave him an adorable pout.

“It’s a city boy, quite the cute one too, his eyes were full of curiosity, it seems he doesn’t mind the farm one bit! Around Jackie’s age too!” She beamed.

The man gave a smile. “A city kid same age as Jack n’ accepted a invite over? Let’s ask ‘em to get married before it’s too late.” He chuckled as his wife giggled. “Come now, that pork roast is waitin’ for me!”

As soon as Johnny entered Gabe’s eyes sparkled with delight, yet he maintained his small smile from growing. The man has messy brown hair and a bit of stubble, a strong jaw and a muscular build, most importantly, he had a straw farm hat that was tied to his neck, taken off out of respect at the dinner table. This man was everything he imagined a farmer would be.  
“Well howdy there, first time we’ve had a guest in a while. Lucky for you, my wife’s made her famous pork roast tonight.” The man gave a big grin as he ruffled Jack’s hair. “Hope my little rascal isn’t too much trouble for ya!”

Jack blushed with embarrassment but smiled “He helped me take care of the cows Pa! He even wanted to shovel poop ‘n-”

Johnny blinked with surprise. “What you got him shoveling poop up for? He’s a guest!”

Gabe laughed. “I’ll do anything that takes care of the animals- hell, I’d sure like to help out with the crops too! I don’t get to ever see this in the city, and there are no jobs like this either. This is my only chance to help out the source of my groceries. I can’t imagine growing food in my mom's apartment, it’s so small!” The boy stopped when Claire put a steaming pot in the middle of the table.

“Dig in! Mashed potatoes and corn on the cob to go with it, a nice balanced meal!” Jack’s mother beamed and the boys (including Johnny) all but attacked the food, stuffing as much as they can into their mouths. The women giggled with satisfaction, taking her time as she watched the rest enjoy her cooking.

Between eating, they all learned more about each other and had some laughs. Once everything was cleaned up and settled, Johnny set up a basketball hoop for them on the driveway, and took out his old ball for them to use.

“Ya’ know back in my day, I was one of the star basketball players on the highschool team, your ma’ was a cute cheerleader that helped me win every game I played in.” Jonny spun the ball on a single finger before tossing it to Gabe.

Jack snorted. “What are you, 60?” He feigned a gruff voice “Back in my day-” 

Gabe snorted and Jack felt a bit proud of his joke, poking fun of his dad.

“Fine, I’ll leave you boys ta play. Make sure Jack doesn’t trip over his feet, took him the longest time ta learn soccer.”

Gabe dribbled the ball a bit and smiled at Jack. “Ready to lose?”

The blond had a hard time believing such a pure smile could say such words. “I’m ready to win.” Jack stole the ball and dribbled, shooting but missing. “Okay I might prepare just a little but to lose.”

Gabe snorted before he began to teach Jack the basics of basketball, the two boys playing until the sun began to set. Both of them had fun with it even with the underlying competition, and they played until they were both worn out, panting as they lay on the cement.

“You’re not half bad for a country kid.”

“Thanks, shouldn’t ya be headin’ home?” Jack turned to Gabe and blushed slightly as he watched the other boys stare up at the sky.

“I can see the stars...”

“Hm?” Jack looked back up in confusion.

“Can’t see them in the city, too bright. They’re….pretty.” Gabe smiled as he turned to the blond. “You’ve lived like this all your life?”

“Yeah, it’s nice, ‘cept school.”

Gabe laughs. “Well nobody likes school.”

Jack’s tone drops, a bit more serious. “Nobody likes a farm boy. I’m dirty n’ smell bad n’-”

Gabe rolled over so he was sitting on Jack’s stomach, getting a ‘oomph!’ out of the blond. “You still clean up and you don’t smell. Farmers are important, nobody would have food without you. The WORLD relies on people like you.”

Jack stared at the other boy as if he’d been given the grandest speech of his little life so far. Nobody had ever been anywhere near this kind to him. He felt tears well up in his eyes so he wiggled his way from under Gabe to stand, avoiding eye contact. “Come on. Ya have ta’ get home now. I’ll see you again tomorrow maybe?”

Gabe grins. “Definitely.”

 

In the month that Gabe stays, the two play every single day to their heart's content, adventuring in the woods, playing with the animals, even going out into town. Jack didn’t want to at first but Gabe was proud to drag the blond around, showing any of the kids from the local school that Jack was awesome and they were all missing out.

When the day came for Gabe to leave the two went to the woods one last time to play before leaving in the afternoon. They took Silver, the old farm horse, and Rocky followed along as they went on the trails they had already explored. It was all familiar chatter about how cool this and that was, but soon it turned reminiscent. The boys sat at the top of a hill next to the river, finding it the best place to have the lunch Jack’s mother packed. They talked about all the fun they had and eventually they grew silent.

Jack was the first to break the silence. 

“Will ya come back next summer?”

Gabe looked at the grass and gave a small smile. “I don’t know. Probably not but… I’ll try.”

Jack didn’t even bother to hide his disappointment. “Oh… Well ya know where ta find me…”

Gabe looked over at the blond and he couldn’t feel more sorry in his life. “If I don’t come back next year it will be the next, and if not that one then the one after.” He takes Jack’s hands. “I promise.”

Jack smiles. “Do ya think I could have your address, ta send letters or somethin?”

Gabe frowns. “We move a lot because of mom’s work but I’ll give it to you anyways. I’ll tell you when it changes.”

Jack nodded and the two wound up looking at each other, both just as sad that they were parting. Soon enough Jack was brought to tears, only sniffling, not wanting to seem like a baby. 

“Thank you… I’ve never had so much fun in my life… I’ve never had a friend before I don’t know how I lived without this...” Rocky trotted over and nuzzled the boy with a whine, Silver nudging Jack’s head with a concerned snort. “Oh yeah… These guys...” Jack gave a small laugh.

Gabe hugged him in return. “I’ll be back… Someday I promise.” He couldn’t bear the thought of Jack being alone again, but he had no choice. They were just kids, middle school kids; he knows that one day they’ll forget this time and move on, but right here and now, neither of them believe they can just forget each other and carry on like nothing had ever happened.

The two did their best to try and keep their last day fun but by the time they got back, Gabe’s family was ready to leave, car packed and everything. Claire and Johnny were there to thank the Reyes family for coming and being friends with their son, but stepped back when it comes down to just Jack and Gabe saying goodbye.

Jack looked at the ground, willing himself to not cry again. “I’ll...see ya…”

Gabe gave a sad smile, even if it was just a little bit, being the older one he tried to cheer Jack up. “Yeah… I’ll see you…” He wrapped his arms gently around Jack, giving him a firm hug before pulling away, just studying the angel’s face once more before leaving for the city, trying to memorize it.

Jack just looked at Gabe with his teary, bright blue eyes, so full of innocence and sadness that Gabe couldn’t help but lean in and give him a kiss on the lips. 

Of course, it was the first for both of them, little more than pressing their lips together, but they were both blushing when they pulled away. 

“It was a uh… Seal to our promise… That we’ll see each other again.” Gabe made a lame excuse but Jack laughed nervously, red as a tomato.

“Yeah… Thank you…” Jack gives a bright smile, now confident for when they reunite. “See ya Gabe.”

With one more quick kiss, Gabe hopped in the car and looked back, waving at Jack. He waved back until they were far away but as a split decision he pulled himself up onto Silver bareback.

“YAH!” 

In a split second the horse took off. Jack held onto the reins and did his best to keep a hold on the horse with his legs. He managed to catch up to the car, which could only go so fast on dirt roads.

“I’ll visit the city sometime!!” Jack shouted, and Gabe leant out the window to reply.

“Make sure to write!”

Silver started to lose speed when the car hit the road. “I will! Goodbye Gabe!”

Jack waved again, but it proved to be a fatal mistake as he fell off the horse, tumbling onto the ground.

“Jack!” Gabe shouted, terrified for his friend but the grabbing hands of his sisters kept him from jumping out of the car after him. “Jack!”

With nothing broken, Jack sat up and waved with a big smile on his face just before Gabe lost sight of him.

As soon as the car was out of sight Jack’s smile faded and he whistled, leading Silver back home.

He doesn’t cry.

He doesn’t say anything. 

He let his father throw him over his shoulder once they reach home, Johnny patting his back trying to comfort him. Claire cleaned off his cuts and scrapes from falling off the horse, not getting lectured, which he expected but he could only guess his parents didn’t want to upset him more than he already is.

That night, as Jack lay in bed with Rocky curled up next to him, he looked up at the stars through his bedroom window. He sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep. 

“Too bad Gabe won’t be able to see them anymore…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just to let you all know I no longer have a beta starting with this chapter so it may not be as polished as the previous chapters. On another note, that means I would appreciate it if any of you are, or know someone who would be willing to be a beta for my fic! I would appreciate it and I hope you all will still enjoy reading c:

As soon as Jack gets back from his jog, he makes a beeline for the sink, dipping his head below the running water, to cool down his skin. The room is pitch black, the only light source from the lamplight peeking under the door of Gabe's office. Jack pulls his shirt off to dry his hair, wrapping it around his neck as he approaches the office, the sound of music muffled through the door.

Jack carefully opens the door, just enough to see Gabe glaring at a paper, scribbling a few things down before placing it atop a pile beside him.

The officer lets out a sigh and lies his head on his desk “Tired?” Jack asks from his place behind the door, only his eye and a tuft of hair poking through.

Gabe can't help but snort at the sight, it was like a kid asking for another cookie.

“Yeah, just finished. Did the run get the sugar out of your system?”

Jack looked away bashfully. “Yeah, sorry. It's such a weird side effect.”

He receives a shrug. “It's a weird drug.”

Gabe sits up and gestures with his hand. “You coming in or..?”

Jack closes the door a bit. “You said I'm not allowed in.”

Gabe gives a dismissive waving motion “I trust you enough not to destroy the place.”

The shirtless male opens the door and walks in, the officer doing his best to hide how pleased he was to see the other exposed. Shit it was hard to avoid staring.

“What's happening tomorrow?” The blond leans on the desk and Gabe relaxes in his chair.

“More tests, strength and speed again.” He puts the pile of papers in a folder. “I have to drop these papers off tonight, want to join me?”

“Sounds boring.”

“We get to drive off the property to the mountains.”

“After curfew?”

“Jack, you seem to forget I'm a top ranking officer.”

The blond grins. “I'll grab a new shirt then.” He turns on his heel strides out, excited to get out of the SEP’s borders for once.

“She's a real beaut’.” Jack rubs the hood of the military issued truck, painted to Gabes taste.

“Your country accent is kicking in.” The man snorted as he slides into the driver's seat.

“I could haul 4 full-grown cows in the back of this thing! There's plenty of weapons and most importantly…” He practically strokes the radio. “There's a cassette and CD player.”

Gabe laughs heartily. “I fought to have that, they said it was unnecessary.”

As soon as the vehicle starts up, a smile spreads across Jack's face “Purrs like a kitten.”

“You a big fan of cars?” Gabe raises a brow and the blond just laughs.

“Not really, certain ones are just satisfying to be around.”

Gabe turns on the radio and white noise fills the truck. “You'll know we’re out once this starts working.” Jack just gives a nod and looks out the window as he listens, curious what song might come on.

As soon as it spurs to life an announcer speaks “-it is! It was nice talking with you, and now for your suggested song- In The Air Tonight!” Both males grin at each other as the famous song came on. It’s soft, soothing and just enjoyable to listen to.

As the song goes on, a strong drum hits, the two hitting the car’s dashboard to the beat and burst singing for the last chorus “I can feel it, coming in the air tonight. Oh lord!” Jack dramatically grooves, throwing his head from side to side and rolling his shoulders to the music. Gabe chuckles at the sight out of the corner of his eye, bobbing his head slightly to the song.  
This winds up happening for every song that plays on their way up the mountain, the music giving them a burst of energy to enjoy the ride to it’s fullest.

There's a clearing in the trees, revealing a log cabin where Gabe knocks on the door as Jack looks around. This placed looked like a home, not a military base for confidential information.

A friendly man opens the door, maybe in his upper 40’s. “There you are Gabriel, I see you've brought a friend or maybe...a mate? Considering you wouldn't bring a friend to a confidential area like this.”

Jack becomes flustered as Gabe laughs “He's a very trusted friend, Jack Morrison. Top Alpha in the SEP program, rooms with me too.”

The man smiles, giving a comforting look despite how gruff he is. “The names Valkenhayn, please come in.” Jack returns the smile and as soon as he steps in the blond scrunched his nose.

Candles are placed everywhere, the mixed perfume scent smothering the room. He was about to question in when they stepped into the man's office.

He immediately knew why as his body assumes an attack position, the candle smell replaced with overwhelming pheromones reeking of danger and death.

“My apologies, it's quite scary isn't it?” The man gives a knowing smile as Gabe pulls off his beanie, covering Jack's face

“Just cover your nose for now, it takes a while to get used to.”

Jack holds the beanie to his face, not only blocking the scent but his blush as well. All he smelled now was Gabe, the soothing scent calming his nerves. Boy was it a good scent too, it was sweet yet manly at the same time.

As he loses himself in the smell, the officers start discussion, glancing over at him a few times until beckoning him over.

“Just letting you know, Valkenhayn’s pheromones are used as a weapon and a secret one at that.”

The man laughs. “If I put on a scary face I can control anyone in range of my scent. As for the reason I'm like this... ” He raises a brow. “Does he know?”

Gabe nods “Yeah, the experiments gave him this constant threatening state and there's no control over it.”

Jack removes the beanie and steels his nerves to stop his screaming instinct to flee. “I'm sorry for reacting badly to something that is a part of who you are. It was disrespectful.”

Valkenhayn chuckles as Gabe puffs his chest out a bit in pride at Jack's professionalism.

“Not at all, you are only the second to not run or cower in fear. Gabriel is the only other who chose fight before flight. I can see why he trusts you. I can assure you, once training is done, you’ll go directly to a higher rank.”

Jack smiles, relaxing despite the looming fear. “Thank you, sir.”

He's getting stronger with all his hard work and it's paying off. He hopes his childhood friend, wherever he is, would be proud of how far he's gone since he was a shy boy on a farm.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got crazy busy around finals and the holidays, not even going to list them but I promise there was a lot. I'm sorry I never got to updating this, I really wanted to do a Christmas or New Years update but looks like its a day-after-new-years rupdate. I'm going to try and get back into the swing of writing so bare with me! Thank you all for staying with me this long! <3

On the way back home, the two enjoy music once more, but at some point, Jack reaches over to turn it down.

“I uh… Just wanted to ask. Why exactly do you trust me so much? You don’t seem the type to give away military secrets to a soldier that you’ve only known for a few months.”

Gabe frowns “Honestly? I don’t know. Something about your scent or just how you look, my guard just goes down around you.” He slows down and looks over at the blond. “It’s like… you belong here with me. Something just always put me on edge before you arrived, like something was wrong that whole time. I reacted terribly to this feeling at first but now...Now I have no clue what exactly I’m feeling anymore.”

Jack can’t help but laugh nervously “Sounds like a weird confession.”

Gabe can’t help but blush a bit “Well...Maybe it is. Watching you as your commanding officer, seeing you improve makes me feel so proud. I feel more relaxed knowing you’re in my sight and out of harm's way.” His eyes focus on the road as he feels his whole body heat up with embarrassment. “I want to protect you everytime I see you smile, wanting to keep you happy.”

Jacks whole face flushes pink, all the way up to his ears and down his neck “I admire you, your strength, the amount of will it took you to get through living hell... I feel like only I get to see that soft side of you. I was the first you told about it and it means the world to me that you trust me that much. I was always mocked for my strength, but around you I feel normal, I don’t feel like the monster everyone called me back home.”

Gabe snorts “Because I’m even more of a monster then you are?”

“No!” Jack protests immediately. “No, you…. Your strength is beautiful, as terrifying as it is, I can’t help but want it. You’re probably the only person on Earth able to protect me.” He blushes a bit. “I’m so tired of being the leader all the time, with you I can finally take a break from that.”

Gabe pulls over, throwing the vehicle into the park as he looks over at Jack, the two blushing and staring as their feelings slowly surfaced through their mess of words. He leans forward to look Jack in those beautiful eyes of his “You have to always be by my side if you want me to protect you.”

“I know.” The blond’s eyes become half-lidded as he stares at the other's lips, they were just so close, there’s no way he could focus on making full, proper sentences.

“What if you become stronger than me?”

“Don’t care, feel safe with you.”

Gabe reaches over and touches Jacks cheek gently “You’re too beautiful for a gruff guy like me.”

Jack laughs softly, meeting his eyes “And you deserve more love than an unsocial farm boy can give.”

A smirk crawls across the officer's lips “You can give plenty.” He is barely able to finish his sentence when Jack throws his arms around Gabes neck, the two colliding for a long-awaited kiss.

Jack gives a whimper of annoyance as his seat belt digs into him, the brunette quickly picking up on this, he gets it off of the blond, only splitting for a second before he pulls the blond close, kissing him again with much more passion than the first. Jack was shy with his lips, cautiously gliding his across Gabes as the other was more bold, confident in the way he held and touched the blond.

It only takes one small, sensual bite, and Gabe has Jack gasping, the bearded man clearly pleased with the blonds reaction, giving a warm chuckle. “You’re surprisingly sensitive.”

Jack pouts, his face hitting new levels of redness as he hides his face in the other alphas chest. “Shut up, I’m not used to the intimate attention.”

Gabe grins “Neither am I but-” he doesn’t get to finish when Jack practically leaps at him, holding his head in place as he’s given the steamiest kiss of his life. Even without experience the blond captures his lips, tilting his head so their noses wouldn’t get in the way, going so far as to trace Gabes lips with his tongue.

This pulls out a purr, no more than a low rumble in the officer's chest, as his hands glide down Jacks sides, stopping to hold him by the hips. The blond pulls away, making Gabe lean forward, chasing the blond's lips before they finally part.

“Who’s sensitive now? Purring like some sort of cat.” Jack gives a competitive grin, getting a laugh out of the other.

“Don’t let it get to your head, I’ll have you moaning.” Just as Gabe starts to make another move, his phone rings with a message. The playful atmosphere is broken as they return to business as usual.

“Looks like there’s a change of plans for tomorrow's training, we should head back and get some rest.”

Jack raises a brow as he puts his seat belt back on “Something harder than usual?”

Gabe gives him a look and the blond flushes “Not that! Is tomorrow's training something harder than usual?”

“A simulation of sorts, connects to your nerves and sends signals to simulate pain in battle. It’s supposed to help you deal with the actual pain when it happens so you can act on helping yourself rather than just scream and draw attention to your position.”

“Sounds fun.” Jack sighs sarcastically, going back to looking out the window as the radio plays all the way back to base.

The squad is seated in a laboratory that contained a chair with lots of wires and technology all over it. They all listened as the scientists explained the chair and its purpose, and actually had tested it themselves, much to Gabe's relief. He was then chosen to set an example for the squad and he just agreed, wanting to know what his men would have to go through today.

The scientists hook him up and tie him down in order to prevent him from hurting himself in the process. The first setting of pain was a punch to the gut, this makes the alpha snort, it’s nothing to him. The second setting was getting stabbed in the leg, more painful for sure but nothing he couldn’t handle. The next was a gunshot to the shoulder, making him grimace in pain, he would probably have made a pained noise if he hadn’t gotten shot before.

The last was a huge jump in pain, simulating the feeling of having a limb taken off. This caused Gabe to grit his teeth, not wanting to show too much pain since it would make the squad nervous. His pheromones reach the scientists around him, causing them to flinch but they untie him and let him go back to his seat among the squad who look at him in awe.

Jack just sits in wait as they get brought up one by one, some wind up crying and screaming, especially on the last level. The blond winds up last, on his walk over he feels Gabe pat his back as he passes him, giving a thankful smile back before taking his seat, allowing the scientists to tie him down like the rest.

He felt he would react mildly compared to others, always been able to brush off the feeling of pain. As soon as the punch hits he grunts, his eyes widening in surprise. It felt way stronger than he expected, did they turn up the setting because they had high expectations for him? The stab felt more painful than any stab he’s ever had, and he’s been stabbed with a rusty screwdriver back on the farm. They definitely amped this up because of his high results in everything else.

“Shit…” he groaned softly through grit teeth, everyone left in the room confused why he was reacting the worst so far to the test.

The gunshot made him bite his lower lip to muffle a cry, sweat covering his face as he grips onto the chair hard, causing it to creak. Gabe watches with worried eyes, wanting to stop this, but he knows he shouldn’t interrupt.

On the last level he didn’t just cry out in pain, his pheromones filled the room in an instant, hostile and attacking. This is when Gabe notices smoke emitting from certain parts of Jacks body, where the nerves attached to the machine.

“Turn that off, now!” He growls the command as Jack tries to pull himself from his bindings, breaking the arm off before he starts to claw at the other, the only thing in his mind was to escape this thing as his whole body trembled with agony.

The scientists scramble, some frozen in fear from Jacks scent while others picked up their slack. Gabe growls impatiently, his own pheromones showing how displeased he was as he strides up to the chair, getting Jack out as it’s turned off.

The blond pants and leans against the officer for support, bleeding everywhere the wires were pulled off him, some of his hair singed a bit, left with burns.

Pissed off at the sight, he picks up Jack bridal style, holding him close as he glares down at the scientists. “What the FUCK happened here?!”

A few try to explain nervously before one speaks up “The wires got twisted when we were placing them on the soldier, one frayed and shocked the others causing a power surge so what he felt was around...” the man thought for a moment. “Four to eight times more than what any of you felt. We will fix the issue immediately and take any punishment given for our mistake.”

The officer just snarls “Not going to deal with you right now.” he hugs Jack a bit tighter as he strides out of the room. “You’re all dismissed!”

Gabe positions Jack as comfortable as he can on his bed, even fluffing his pillow, only leaving his side for a moment to get a first aid kit to tend to his wounds. The blond is unresponsive, eyes half-lidded and looking at nothing, his body twitching now and then as his nerves tried to calm down.

“Jack…” the brunette strokes his cheek, his voice nothing more than a croak compared to his demanding voice minutes earlier. To see Jack like this tore his heart in half, he couldn’t do anything but stay here and make him comfortable as his nerves calm and the blond falls asleep. He takes the time to make the blond a meal, putting on one of his favorite CDs, eventually falling asleep beside him with worry.

Jack wakes with a groan of pain, it’s as if his whole body fell asleep. He remembers the gun shot simulation before oh…. Oh god he blacked out.

“Fuck….” the blond rubs his eyes, blinking some of the dryness away as he sees the band-aids and the food on his bedside table. Looking to the other side he sees Gabe, asleep with a worried crease in his brow. He must have done all this for him, how sweet. With a few stretches, he was feeling back to normal aside from the slight pain of his cuts and burns.

He smiles as he hears his favorite album playing, he takes this moment to just relax next to the one he loves, singing softly. “-she got the Mercedes bends...She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls frieeeends….How they dance in the courtyard, sweeeet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to for-get.” He chuckles at his own singing before he decides it’s time to wake the other.

“Hey Gabe…?” Jack smiles as he kisses the man's forehead, chuckling as Gabe’s eyes go wide before he hugs Jack in a tight embrace.

“You’re alright, fucking hell don’t scare me like that.”

Jack smiles and pulls apart to give the officer a sweet kiss on the lips. “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you. I see you put my favorite album on and made me some food.” He gives a bright smile. “Thank you.”

He isn’t too surprised when Gabe explains the situation, taking bites of his mildly warm food before downing a whole bottle of water, too embarrassed to express how good the meal was to the one that cooked it.

“So you’re saying I’m actually awesome because I could bare more than what any of you had?” He grins and Gabe just signs, lying back, finally able to relax now that Jack was acting like his normal self.

“I was ready to kill someone tomorrow morning if you didn’t come back to your senses today.”

Jack lies his head on Gabe's chest, giving him a peck on the chin “Could you do it anyway? I have this black list of people and-”

Gabe bursts laughing, nuzzling the blond “What the fuck Jack? You’re so weird.”

The blond purrs, straddling the other with a playful smirk “And you love it.”

The alpha chuckles, reaching up to Jack as he leans down “You’re right, I love anything my boyfriend does.” they meet in a soft kiss, full of relief and reassurance, happiness and hope.

They may have run into a problem today but that’s not going to stop them. Together, nothing will.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valentines update for you all! Happy Valentines <3  
> Check out the art piece I did which started this whole fic!  
> https://maxkiki.tumblr.com/post/170867221546/after-the-r76-big-bang-last-year-i-drew-this-and

Despite Gabe’s protest, Jack assured him that he was well enough to sleep without a chaperone. With some proper rest, the blond’s nerves were able to return to normal, all cuts and burns healed due to the enhancement drugs effects. The only thing left to prove the accident happened is the tuft of hair singed at the back of the soldier's neck.

Jack wakes with a yarn, rubbing the grogginess from his eyes as he makes his way to the kitchen. The faint sound of music could be heard from the officer's room, something lively accompanied by a strong beat. The blond shuffles over tiredly, peeking through the other's door. His eyes search the room as the sound of energetic Spanish music fills his ears, the beat resounding in his chest. It doesn't take him long to locate his boyfriend, his eyes widening at the sight.

Gabe was in the center of the room, wearing nothing aside from pastel pink colored boxers covered in skulls, each wearing a sombrero of its own. He had his hips swaying to the music, softly singing along as he brushed his hair, getting into it more as he sets the brush down. Jack feels his face heat up at the sight of his boyfriend moving his hips like that because holy shit that was the sexiest thing he has ever laid his eyes upon.

It doesn’t take very long for the brunette to figure out he was being watched, giving his hips and extra hard swing here and there, rolling them in a way that flexes his glorious abs. He raises his arms above his head while turning to meet Jacks eyes, giving a flirtatious smirk as he winks. “Like what you see?”

Jack doesn’t even have a chance to give a proper response as he pushes the door open, his hands resting on Gabe's hips as his pheromones start to surround the other in an attempt to seduce, acting on instinct.

“Not even a word and you’re so persuasive, I like that in a man.” Gabe purrs before he takes Jacks hand, pulling him into a dance with the music. It’s not hard for Jack to catch on, moving an instant after the other, just applying basic waltz knowledge to follow Gabes strong steps and hip movements.

Jack smiles with utter delight as they dance, his eyes following whichever beautiful part of Gabe's body was closest. Unable to restrain himself he pulls the other close for a kiss, holding those powerful hips close to his own. As nice as the dance was he had something he wanted a bit more. “I’m not sure if you’ll ever understand what you do to me.”

Gabe grinds his hips against the blonds with a purr. “Oh, you bet I do. I’m doing it on purpose cariño.”

Jack raises a brow. “Come again?”

Gabe reaches behind Jack to turn off the music before pulling him towards the bed, swaying his hips a bit dramatically with each step. “It’s like sweetie, just a pet name lovers use.”

As soon as Gabe's legs hit the edge of the bed, Jack puts a knee on the edge, forcing his boyfriend to lie down as he straddles him, his hands going to those lovely thighs. “So we’re lovers now? Thought you had to make love at least once before that title was available.” he gives a charming smile, kissing those beautiful legs, making his way up.

God was Jack good at this, his body naturally relaxes in his embrace, his pheromones reaching out to Jack, his want couldn’t be more obvious if he wrote “let’s mate” across his forehead.

Jack can’t help but chuckle as he feel’s Gabe's stomach muscles twitch under his lips, the other trying not to laugh as the light kisses tickled his skin.

“Jack no…” The brunette reaches down to hold Jacks face. “Come up here and just kiss me properly.” He gives a warm smile and Jack moves up immediately “Geeze you are so handsome…”

Jack wraps an arm around Gabe's neck, bending his head back across his arm as their lips meet. It was soft, sensual, and in a dizzying surge of emotion, the kiss becomes a burning passion, the two grabbing onto each other as if their life depended on it. Jack’s lips were insistent, parting Gabes as their scents began to mix, the air filled with the heavy smell of their lust.

Soon enough neither of them feel anything but dizzying pleasure, without even getting to the dirty part of things nothing felt more right in their lives. They just know they want to get closer, they need to get closer. Gabe grabs at Jacks shirt, the sound of a few seams tearing before Jack sits up to throw it off, the feel of bare skin upon each other so pleasant they practically melt together.

“Gabe?” Jack would pause, holding himself up so he could look his partner in the eyes.

“Yeah?” Gabe would give a soft smile, his lips parted a bit as he pants ever so slightly from their steamy kiss.

“I think I love you.” Jack speaks with a serious face before Gabe chuckles, his head tilting in confusion.

“You think?” Gabe snorts, running a hand through Jacks hair, looking into those wonderfully innocent eyes of his, full of honest emotion. “You sure you only think you love me?”

Jack blushes and hides his face in the crook of Gabe's neck “No I… I know I love you it’s just… embarrassing to say with a straight face… Especially for the first time.”

Gabe takes his boyfriends face in his hands and smiles “I love you too Jack. More than anything.”

Before Jack can turn any redder Gabe pulls him down for a kiss, pulling out a moan before letting his hands slip under the blonds boxers, getting teasingly close to the throbbing member pleading for escape.

“Gabe do you want to…nnn?” Jack's body arches, trying to get closer to his partners wandering hands.

“Isn’t it obvious cariño? I wouldn’t want to do anything el-”

Ring. Ring.

The two freeze in place, ignoring a call wasn’t the best idea, they both knew that, but this is the second time, and neither of them wants to stop.

“We can’t ignore it.”

“Nope.”

“.....I want to ignore it.”

“Gabe you have to-”

The Officer snatches up his phone and growls as he answers “What?”

“Officer Rayes! One of your men are here in the infirmary, I need you for a few things.”

Gabe sighs. “I’ll be right there.” He hangs up and gives Jack one last kiss before getting up. “The lady down at the infirmary needs me for something because one of you guys got hurt apparently. I don’t know, didn’t tell me much, didn’t sound serious but it’s my job.”

Jack smiles. “Mind if I join?”

Gabe throws on a shirt. “Anything’s better with you there.”

 

The two stand outside the infirmary's door, properly dressed with some strong cologne to mask their remaining lustful pheromones.

As soon as Gabe opens the door he finds there to be nobody but the nurse, Jack follows behind, the both of them confused until the scent hits them.

The nurse was in heat.

“Miss.... Selena was it? Did you call me because you need-”

“Yes!” The women are tall, slender and pretty by all means with dark, dusky skin contrasting her blond hair. Jack is sent on edge right away as she leaps into Gabe's arms, wrapping her arms around him as she rubs against him in need. “Please! You’re the first Alpha that came to my mind! I need it!”

Gabe’s lip curls up in disgust as his body's pheromones respond to the female omega in heat. “There’s no way I would ever-”

“Get. Off. Him.” The air becomes heavy despite the female's heat flooding the room, Jacks pheromones dripping with anger and flaring with protectiveness over his partner.

“Jack~” She purrs. “I wouldn’t mind you either! I just need to mate! I can’t take it!” She rubs against Gabe to prove her point and it wound up being her biggest mistake.

“I. Said. OFF.” Jack grabs the omega by the shoulder and tears her off of Gabe, throwing her onto the ground.

The women’s instincts click on and she growls at Jack, taking a defensive position but tries to hit him anyways. Jack responds with a more powerful snarl, pushing her back each time she takes a swing. She manages to slip around him to go for Gabe again but the officer glares at her with disgust before Jack grabs her leg, making her fall face first.

She looks back and growls again but Jack throws her against the wall, the omega finally running, the will to survive stronger than the will to claim a mate.

“Jack, I could have-”

The blond launches himself at Gabe, knocking them to the ground in a heated kiss, he parts to rub himself in each part masked by cologne. Licking and rubbing, scenting his partner. “You’re mine and I want people to fucking know that.”

Gabe purrs. “So possessive. Not that I mind, I wanted to interrupt but you were like a knight in shining armor, I couldn’t help but watch.”

Jack gasps in surprise as Gabe bites his neck, dangerously close to his bonding site, the bundle of nerves that would claim them mates for life. “Gabe, what are you doing?”

The brunette licks at the bite he’s made “I think a mark like this will make the picture pretty clear you’re taken. You’re not the only one wanting to claim what’s rightfully theirs.”

The two just take this time to cuddle on the cold, hard tile of the abandoned infirmary, with how happy they were feeling, it might as well been a grass pasture in the open field of a farm.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long QAQ college hit me like WHAM! I'm in my last few weeks of the semester so once it's over I'll try to update weekly or bi-weekly until it's done!

Jack can’t help but blush at all the whistles and howls he receives as the squad goes through their training routine. Gabe's smell is practically plastered on him and the short sleeved shirt he was wearing did nothing to help hide the mark on his neck in the slightest. As proud as he was to have the officer as a mate, it was embarrassing to have it brought to attention to this extent.

One of the betas sticks his tongue out and sings as they jog. “Jack and Reyes sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-”

“What are you, 5?” Jack scoffs as he jogs faster, the squad laughing as they have fun teasing the blond. Not much wavered him, but this is his first relationship since he was a kid, all the fuzzy feelings he has made him feel younger, making it hard to act like an adult let alone a military soldier. But then again, it didn’t hurt to have a little fun during training once in a while.

Gabe just laughs to himself as he watches the squad tease his partner. “All right, that’s enough. Today we’re doing some hand to hand combat practice. You will each be randomly paired up to fight and whoever wins, in the end, gets bragging rights and a pat on the back.”

It wasn’t hard for Jack to make his way to the top, he was agile and strong, his pheromones pungent enough to cause his opponent to lose concentration during the brawl. It was also nice to see Gabe worry every time he got hit, it was only a slight furrow of the man's brows but it pushed Jack to win, leaving him breathless as he stands proudly over his last opponent.

“We kinda all knew he would win, right?” The squad starts to debate.

“Well, he is the best of us here.” One sighs.

Another rubs his sore neck.“Well, Officer Reyes is stronger.”

“Jacks got a lot better though.”

“Wanna bet?” Is the only thing needed to be said before they were all urging Gabe to fight against Jack, placing bets on who will win.

Gabe turns to Jack with a shrug, not wanting to hear the squad wine about this in the future. “I don’t see why we can’t.”

The blond takes a drink of water before grinning. “I won’t hold back on you.”

The officer smirks and leans close to whisper “And I won’t hold back when I bend you over my desk tonight.”

Jack flushes red before giving a humorless laugh. “Really? I was thinking it would go the other way around.”

Gabe laughs and pats his partners back. “I’m the stronger and bigger alpha, wouldn’t it only make sense my way?”

Jack stands to his full height and growls. “You’re just a bit bulkier, I just have slim muscle like an otter.”

The officer snorts. “Are those something you had on your farm? I’m sure they’re raised to be military soldiers because of how much muscle they have.”

Both alphas growl, their pheromones coming off in waves of anger and irritation. The squad backs off a bit, wondering if they’ve made a mistake.

Jack lunges first, just barely missing as Gabe jumps to the side, countering immediately with a strong kick behind the blonds knees, causing him to crumble.

“Got you already.” Gabe grins as he grabs the blond's shirt only to be knocked to the side as Jack twists, landing a solid kick to the officer's torso. Gabe grunts at the blow, not a single second to recover as Jack pounces, knocking Gabe to the ground as he straddles him.

“If this wasn’t a fight for who tops first I wouldn’t mind riding you right now~” The blond whispers teasingly before he bends backward, lifting himself up for a handstand as he throws Gabe with his legs.

The brunette laughs as he skids to a stop. “You play dirty, you know that?” He charges, hardly giving Jack any time to dodge as he throws a punch, landing right in the middle of the blond's stomach.

“Shit…” Is all Jack can say as he coughs, grabbing onto Gabe's shoulders. “That stung a bit.” he laughs, throwing Gabe off guard by giving him a quick kiss before lying back on the ground.

“I give up, I’m tired.” he pants, putting a hand on his stomach. “Not fair that I fought five other people before you.”

This causes some members of the squad to wine, having lost the bet.

Gabe lifts the blond over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, starting to walk back to the dorms. Waving the betas off he shouts. “You’re all dismissed!”

 

The two sit on the edge of Gabe's bed, patching up Jacks cuts and bruises carefully.

Gabe sighs as he smoothes down a bandage across the blonds cheek. “Thought you said you wouldn’t hold back.”

Jack just laughs, leaning his head on the other's shoulder. “It’s harder than I thought… Fighting the one you love.”

Gabe smiles at such a sweet comment, kissing the blond softly. “Yeah… It was a stupid little fight.”

The two sit in silence, shifting slightly to get more comfortable, just enjoying the company and the warmth. It doesn’t take long for their quiet moment to be ruined by the ring of the officer's phone.

“Hello?....Yeah, I was aware it was this year….Tomorrow? Can I go? It’s really okay?.... Yes…. Yes, thank you. I’ll leave right away.”

Jack furrows his brows in concern, those big blue eyes filled with worry. “Is something wrong?”

Gabe shakes his head and smiles. “Not at all. My sister is graduating college the day after tomorrow, they’re letting me leave to attend it.”

Jack smiles sadly. “I’m glad you can finally see your family again… How long with you be gone?”

Gabe hugs the blond close. “Three days… I have to leave tonight. Takes a while to drive there.”

Jack wraps his arms around his partner, burying his face in his chest. “Just when we finally have the time to do it.”

The officer chuckles. “That’s what you’re upset about?”

Jack rubs his scent on while he can. “No, I’m going to miss you.”

Gabe rubs his nose against Jacks' neck and inhales deeply. “And I will miss you, cariño.” He looks the blond in those beautiful eyes of his, shining with love and worry. “When I get back… How about we bond?”

Jacks eyes widen, being asked this question is basically a proposal. “Really…? You sure it’s me that you want?”

The brunette laughs and kisses Jack breathless, parting with a cheesy mwah sound. “I wouldn’t be doing these things to you if I wasn’t. I love you, Jack.”

The blond laughs and nuzzles into Gabe's chest adoringly. “I love you too!”

Jack helps Gabe with his packing, giving him one last hug. “Call if you can, okay?”

Gabe nods. “I will. Go play with the chickens or something when you're lonely.”

The blond giggles. “You read my mind.”

The two give each other one last kiss, soft and sweet before Jack watches Gabe drive off, waving until he can no longer see him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody following me this far! I'll try to update more often now! Look forward to it! We'll get to the end of it by the end of this year at least! It was never going to drag on this long when I first came up with the idea yet here we are! I might do another fic once it's over if people like it enough c: I'm glad people like my writing, I'm by no means a professional but I'm glad I can bring happiness to your days!

The first few hours of the drive are fine, Gabe just listens to the radio, humming and watching the road. Later on in the night, Jack's favorite song comes on, and it starts to feel lonely. He sings along to it softly, thoughts of his partner filling his mind.

“Welcome to the Hotel California… Such a lovely place...Such a lovely face.” He pauses to laugh. “Jack sure has a lovely face… Should have gotten a photo of him to show mama.”

The rest of the ride is filled with thoughts of the blond he has fallen for, wondering if he was sleeping well if he would eat a proper breakfast if he’s thinking of Gabe. Thoughts of the times they spent together, how they got together under the weirdest of circumstances. What person goes to the military to fall in love?

And with that thought, his mind grows a bit grimmer. Someday he will have to go to war with Jack by his side. War…. Is not something you do for a date. They could get hurt, they could die. Jack could die.

“Damnit…” He bites his lip as the thought causes his chest to tighten with fear.

He could be left alone again, he could find Jack's dead body or even watch him die. Or maybe he would be the one to die, leaving Jack on his own. His mind gave him the heart-wrenching sight of the blond crying, all bruised and battered.

“Not going to happen.” He takes a deep breath and shakes the dark thoughts from his mind just as the radio changes songs.

“Come on baby...Don’t fear the Reaper.”

Gabe listens intently to the song, it was about death that was for sure. But as he listened, it gave him a thought. To not fear death. Sure the song made it sound like it wants you to embrace it like some sort of cult but to him, it was a song that made him feel stronger. He was strong, he was with someone strong, they will not die, they do not have to fear dying.

They do not have to fear the Reaper.

 

“Gabriel!” The brunette has to lean down to give his mother a hug.

“Mama, I’m finally home…” He smiles as he looks around the house. “It’s almost as if I haven't left.”

The women, Angela gives a gentle smile. “The only change is your younger sisters room, she covered the beautiful wallpaper I chose with posters.” She feels Gabe's arms. “My goodness have you grown! Such a strong and handsome man, no wonder I smell a mate on you!”

The brunette blushes. “Mom!”

She just laughs. “Come on, don’t leave your mama in the dark, who’s the lucky guy?”

Gabe sits in the kitchen, sighing. “Well, he’s an alpha in my squad. His name is Jack.”

The women gasps. “Jack Morrison?”

Gabe can’t help but widen his eyes. “How did you know?”

“He was your first love! The one you met on the farm when you were young!” Seeing the confusion she puts a hand over her mouth. “Oh right. They did tell me you lost some memories, I just can’t believe that’s what you forgot about.”

Just as Gabe was about to ask more his youngest sister walks in the front door, leaping into his arms. “You’re back! I can’t believe you’re going to make it to my graduation!”

The brunette laughs, hugging her back. “You’ve grown Camellia, but I got even taller.”

She just pouts before the older sister walks in. “Wish you could have made it to my graduation…”

Gabe stands and opens his arms, giving a sad smile. “Sorry… I couldn’t make it back then Sofia...”

She crosses her arms for a moment but in the end, hugs him tightly. “You idiot… I looked really good in my gown…”

He smiles softly. “I bet you did.”

They stay like this for a bit longer before having an early dinner, catching up and arguing over who has to sleep on the couch.

“You better get enough rest! My graduation is in the morning!” Camellia huffs and he gives her a reassuring smile.

“I will, you can jump on me if you have to, to wake me up.” She smiles at this, wishing him a goodnight before closing the door.

It was nice to be home.

 

Jack got a decent amount of sleep, the morning felt quiet so he throws on his headphones, listening to cassette tapes. Today was a rest day, the squad wasn’t assigned to anything, but tomorrow and the day after, Jack was put in charge of directing training. Without Gabe to talk to he leaves to his second best friend here, the chickens.

He jogs over to the coop, smiling as the birds all crowd the fence to cluck at him. “Yes, hello ladies.”

As boring as it sounds to the average person, Jack spends his whole day with the chickens, listening to his music and occasionally talking to whoever passes by. It was hard to eat with a group of fluffy birds trying to get his food. It was fun for him, it reminded him of home and chickens are more exciting creatures than most think. They’re silly and cuddly, and it was the first time Jack has managed to take a nap while here.

Just looking up at the stars with the smell of hay and farm animals his mind gets taken back to earlier, easier times. Back when he spent time with his first love, Jack can’t help but wonder what they’re doing, if they are alive and well. It doesn’t take long for him to start wondering how Gabe is doing.

“Gabe….” He sighs, laughing slightly. “What am I? A high school girl?” He smiles and pets one of the chickens close to him.

“Barely been a day and I miss him like he’s been gone for months.”

 

I miss him.

Is the first though Gabe has as he wakes up, stretching with a yawn as his joints pop. He’s back with his family and he still feels a bit lonely.

“Lovesick?” Sofia grins as she crosses her arms, shaking her head. “Never seen you so deep, looks like nothing can save you now.”

Gabe chuckles. “Good morning to you too.” He gets up and walks with her to the kitchen. “What if I don’t want to be saved?”

She pretends to think hard. “I guess you will become one of those lovey-dovey couples in those soap operas mom watches.”

He snorts. “How terrible.”

As soon as they enter the kitchen Camillia is doing her hair, makeup supplies scattered on the table.

“We got an hour until we leave, it’s plenty of time,” Gabe says as he leans against the counter, taking some food that his mother has already prepared. Lord did it taste good, he missed home cooking.

“It’s not! I need to make sure it’s perfect! I can’t have my brother looking better than me on my graduation day!”

Gabe almost spits out his food from laughter. “What are you talking about?”

“Have you seen yourself in uniform?!” She almost looks offended. “It’s a crime to look that good. You effortlessly have perfect skin too, it’s unfair.”

“I’m sorry, I guess it’s that cheap military brand soap, just does wonders.”

“Oh shut up! You’re also the biggest Alpha that’s going to be there. There’s no way you’re not going to draw attention!”

 

She was right, his military status got them a front row seat and it also set eyes on him. He tried to mask his scent for the sake of his sister but when other alphas tried to intimidate him he had to put them in their place. In the end, this made the crowd behave during the speeches and all, clapping and cheering when appropriate.

When Camillia walks on stage she is no doubt the best looking, her head held high and she seems to have high respect from her peers.

“That’s my sis!” Gabe calls and this causes her to almost stumble on her way back to her seat. Hid mother elbows him but he just laughs, taking pictures.

 

All of Camellias friends come over for an after graduation party, a few try to flirt with Gabe but when they get close enough they can spot the mark Jack left on his neck, only appearing a bit above his collar.

“Gabriel!” Angela beacons him to follow her.

“Hm? What is it Mama?” Gabe follows and she smiles.

“I wanted to show you some photo albums from when you were young. You lost your memory so maybe this will help you remember Jack.”

Gabe’s eyes widen a bit. “Oh yeah, how did you know it was him?”

She chuckles. “You wouldn’t stop talking about him for years! You brought him up every chance you got.” She sits down on the couch and hands the album over, full of childhood photos. The first few are just of him and his siblings in the country, but soon there are photos of him with a blond boy.

“Oh my god.” Gabe’s eyes widen and his jaw drops in a gasp as he studies the photos. Those same beautiful blue eyes, that angelic long hair, and that breathtaking smile. There was no doubt, this was his Jack.

“It’s him isn’t it?” She smiles proudly.

Gabe can only nod as he goes through the photos, little by little watching the adventures he had that summer with his first love.

And then it all hits him.

There’s a pain resounding in his skull, causing him to drop the album as he clutches his head. “Agh!”

“Gabriel! What’s going on?!” His mother holds him gently.

“I… I remember some of it… it’s just...a lot….to take in…” Is all he manages before he passes out.

 

“What?!” Jack gasps.

“We’re sending you out to get Officer Reyes. It seems that he has recovered memories lost during his time in the SEP program and it’s overwhelming him. His mother contacted us saying they need you there to help him. I denied it until the doctor insisted as well.”

“A doctor did?” The blond springs out of bread, holding the phone with his shoulder as he puts on his uniform hurriedly.

The women sighs. “The doctor said the person closest to him should be there to help get his stress levels down. Someone like his mate.”

He can’t help but blush at that, his hand pausing on his shirts button. “Well… We’re not exactly-”

“They insisted it has to be you, I don’t need the details. We can’t have an officer to stressed out to manage the squad properly when he gets back. You are to leave immediately and return after staying one night.”

“Affirmative.” Jack straightens as he continues changing. “You can count on me.”

“You better leave the morning after or you’re both on cleaning duty.”

The blond can’t help but smile. “You got it.”

 

It’s quite the drive, he had a GPS to follow but it was nice to know the layout of where they were located. It was all confidential so he was surprised he was allowed to even do this.

Oh well, it let him go see his Gabe.

 

When he arrives he straightens his uniform, wanting to look good in front of Gabe's family as he knocks on the door.

An older woman opens the door and both of them stare at each other in surprise.

Jack feels like he knows this woman but he can’t quite place it.

Angela smiles. “I’ve been waiting for you Jack, come on in.”

“Is Gabe alright?” He swallows hard as he follows her in, mind going to the biggest concern right now.

She just smiles as she leads him into a bedroom, Gabe sitting up in bed with teary eyes. “Ask him yourself.”

Jack picks up his pace and hugs the male immediately. “Are you okay? I wasn’t told much and I came here right away-”

The blond trails off as he feels tears on his neck. “Gabe….?”

“Jack it’s you…. I found you again… I missed you so much.”

The blond laughs lightly. “I’ve been away from you for a little over a day, it wasn’t that long.” he runs Gabes back, comforting him even if he was confused why the other was so emotional.

The brunette shakes his head. “No, you were gone for...years. Jack, you don’t remember me?”

Jack sits back to face the other. “What are you talking about?”

“Back on the farm Jack, when we were kids. A city kid visited and we looked at the stars a lot and we rode on your horse together, Silver. There was your dog who would follow us around and your mom made really good food, your dad had such a catchable laugh-” He rambles.

“Wait how do you kno-” It hits him as he spots a framed photo on the bedside table. It was of a blond boy hugging a brunette with tan skin and they both wore big smiles.

“Oh my god!” Jack stands up in surprise. “Oh my god that’s you?!”

Gabe nods. “You remember?”

“Why the fuck would I not?!” The shock sinks in. “That was the best time of my life until I met-” He pauses. “Oh…” He sits back down and puts his face in his hands. “I couldn’t recognize you… My first love and I… I couldn’t tell it was you…” The years of pent-up emotions set in and he begins to cry as well, Gabe pulling him close for a hug. “I’m so sorry....”

Gabe smiles. “Jack it’s okay… We found each other again… I do have to say though, you didn’t change a single bit.”

“What?” Jack huffs. “I got manlier!”

Gabe chuckles. “Look the same, same hairstyle and pretty eyes.”

The blond blushes. “Well… You changed too much!” He points at the picture. “Look at that soft boy and look at a mirror!”

The brunette snorts. “Just sharpie on my facial hair and it’s the same.”

“It is not!” Jack runs his hands through Gabe's hair. “Maybe if you shaved I would have recognized you…”

“Well, there is one upside to us not recognizing each other.”

The blond raises a brow. “And what’s that?”

“We got to fall in love with each other again. It goes to show that we wind up together no matter what.”

“You cheesy bastard.”

Gabe grins. “You know you love it.”

“Shut up already and just give me a kiss.” The blond blushes with an embarrassed pout.

When their lips meet it’s soft and sweet. They were together and that’s all that mattered.

“So when’s the wedding?” Angela asks camera in hand with both sisters behind her, grinning ear to ear.

“Mom!” Gabe turns red with embarrassment and Jack scrambles to straighten himself out, had forgotten they weren't just at the base but at his possible mother in laws house.

“Just don’t do it while we’re all in the house okay?” Sofia smirks.

“Sof-!”

“Yeah, that bite on your neck isn’t a bonding bite. Now that you two reunited you probably can’t wait.”

“Camillia!” Gabe's voice cracks as his hand goes to his neck, his sisters only shifting their eyes to look at Jacks mark.

The blond tries to hide his as well once he realized the situation and the sister's laugh. “Look he’s like a tomato! How cute!”

Angela laughs. “Alright let’s leave the two lovebirds alone. If you really can’t want to do it in your car okay?”

“MOM!” Gabe gasps horrified. “You’re all evil!”

“We love you too!” Sofia smiles as they all leave to their own business.

Jack just rubs the back of his neck, “I don’t remember your sisters being like that… ”

Gabe just lies back in bed with a sigh. “Tell me about it.”

The blond looks back to his partner and waggles his brows with a seductive smirk. “So… The car?”

“JACK!”

The blond bursts laughing as the other pulls him into a headlock. “No! Don’t do this to your future husband! We need to make wedding plans with your mom!”

Gabe just starts planting kisses all over the blond. “You’re lucky I love you, you would be so fucking dead.”

Jack smiles, wrapping his arms around his first and only love. “I love you too.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one month! Trying to keep that promise of more updates c: Hope you guys enjoy the long wait for this part to finally happen!

In the morning the two wake early to prepare breakfast for the family. It's fun just to listen to the radio as the bacon sizzles on the skillet, the pancakes piling up high as Jack just keeps cooking, enjoying it while he can. Gabe occasionally walks past to bump his boyfriend with his hips as he sets the table, either getting a bump back or a scolding that the food will burn because of him. Of course, he wouldn’t complain however when he was pulled into a series of soft kisses, more than happy to indulge the other alpha.

“I see the lovebirds are already at it this wonderful morning.” Angela gives a warm smile as she sits at the table, giving a nod of thanks when Gabe serves her some fresh coffee.

“We don’t have to leave until tomorrow morning so I thought it would be nice to have breakfast together since we won’t have the chance tomorrow.” Jack smiles, whipping some eggs in a bowl to make omelets.

Camellia and Sofia walk in at the same time, Sofia smirking as she catches Gabe staring at the blond. “Looks good in an apron, doesn’t he?”

The male just blushes as he takes some food for himself as Jack serves the last of it.

Camellia laughs. “It’s his last day, let’s go easy on him.”

Jack grins as he sits down. “Nah, he can take it.”

“Hey-” Gabe huffs.

“Let’s dig in!” The blond shoves food into his mouth before the other could start a fight.

It was nice to eat with his family, and with his soon to be addition to the family. Considering this was probably going to be their only day off for a long time, Gabe decides to help Jack with the dishes.

“You want to go out after we finish this?”

The blond nods with a smile, a blush rising on his face but he tries to stay focused on cleaning. “Sure, where to?”

Gabe chuckles. “The usual, go out for lunch, maybe watch a movie, have a fancy dinner then spend the night at a nice hotel.”

Jack almost drops a plate. “A hotel? But we can just sleep he-” He stops when he meets the other's eyes.

“Oh…” There is so much promise and desire in those hazel eyes of his.

 

It was easy enough to finish up the dishes, it took them longer to get out than expected because the sisters wouldn’t let them leave without being satisfied with both their outfits. A casual pair for the day out, and a formal pair for the dinner date. They both wore tan shorts, Gabe wearing a salmon colored short sleeve button up as Jack wore a blue t-shirt with a sunset colored ocean scene on the front. Jack insisted on borrowing sunglasses once they decided on this shirt and it made him look just as cool as he felt.

“You’re such a nerd.”

“For wearing sunglasses? I think you mean super cool badass.” Jack strikes a pose and Gabe kisses his cheek.

“Alright, but your my super cool badass so don’t go posing for anyone else.” He takes the others hand and their fingers lock together as they walk into town, window shopping until they reach a burger joint, Gabe had wanted to take the other someplace a bit nicer but he couldn’t say no to Jacks sparkling eyes.

“Now this is a meal!” Jack takes a bite of a burger with everything on it that the place had. It was too big for his mouth to bite but he managed to do it anyways.

“Well, at least we won’t have to spend much on expensive theater snacks now.” Gabe smiles as he takes a bite out of his chicken sandwich, taking a few of Jacks fries.

“Hey! Mine!” The blond growled playfully, his hands full of too much burger.

“I bought it!”

With a bit of banter, they managed to steer the conversation away from food and back to their school days before it went full circles and they told their best food fight stories in the school cafeteria.

They continued talking as they walked to the theater, getting tickets to a superhero movie before getting the typical popcorn and soda. At some point in the movie, the two ran out of popcorn which apparently led to a small make out session. It tasted of salt and butter but they are both excited to finally be able to have time together without interruption. Nothing else mattered right now but them.

 

“Thoughts on the movie?” Gabe asks as they walk out hand in hand, the setting sun turning the town an orange hue.

“Tony and Steve are totally into each other.” Jack grins. “It reminds me of us, two alphas who argue but it creates so much sexual tension that we fall for each other.”

The brunette snorts. “I was thinking that too. Ready for dinner?”

Jack nods. “Yeah because someone only got a medium popcorn instead of large.”

Gabe frowns. “Hey I am not paying an extra two dollars for a third more popcorn.”

“Well more room for steak~” The blond grins, the two stopping by their hotel room to change before heading out again.

 

It was the most perfect thing they could ask for, it was on a higher floor, giving them a nice view of the area as the stars sparkled in the night sky. They were to themselves by a window, candles in the center surrounded by flowers, a sweet red wine prepared for them in perfectly clear glasses. They brought attention from other couples in the room, not only were they two alphas but their suits made them stunningly handsome. They both wore black, Gabe a few shades darker then Jacks, wearing a crimson red collared shirt underneath his blazer with an elegant gold design. The blond wore a navy blue shirt underneath, keeping his blazer buttoned up, unlike his partner who preferred it worn open.

“How many times did I tell you that you’re the most handsome man in the world?” Jack smiles, just staring at his boyfriend in a happy daze.

“A lot but a few times won’t hurt.” Gabe chuckles. “You definitely look your best tonight.”

Right on cue, the two speak at the same time. “What I want to do to you tonight…” They both laugh and lean closer in order to keep their dirty talk to themselves.

“So who will top tonight? We’ve had a stupid fight about this before but I’d rather we straighten this out before we get back to our hotel room.” Gabe smiles, reaching across the table to put his hand over Jacks.

“Well, you have been treating me this whole day so…” Jack places his other hand on the brunettes and strokes it gently. “I’m thinking about paying you back…” He looks up with a seductive smirk on his face, his winter blue eyes piercing Gabe’s.

The alpha can’t help but shiver at that intense gaze, feeling heat go straight to his pants. “Save that look for later or I’ll wind up bending you over in the middle of a great meal.”

Jack just blows him a kiss before sitting back, the meal arriving just on time.

It’s a peaceful dinner, the two only drinking enough wine to get buzzed instead of drunk. They talk about the movie a bit more, some future plans for a wedding, but in the end, they can’t steer the topic away from what they both want most.

Mating.

 

Gabe pays in a bit more of a hurry then he originally intended too. On the elevator to their room, they try to stay silent but they can both smell each others need so Jack winds up slamming Gabe against the steel wall, crashing their lips together as he presses as close as possible to the other. Once they hear the ding, they pull apart and without bothering to fix their disheveled clothes, Gabe pulls the blond into their room, barely able to close the door before Jack attacks him, grinding and moaning as his hands scramble to lock the door.

Once they manage to get the lock done they wander to the bed, not breaking apart for a single moment. They were not gentle, not now, not after how many times they’ve been interrupted. Jack knots his fists in Gabe's shirt, pulling him down to the bed, tangling together as they roll over, the blond now straddling the other.

Gabe keeps Jack pulled against him by his hair, his blood pumping through his veins like a wildfire as he inhales the blonds scent. It smelled of everything that he would ever want. Just… him. He wants to breathe him in, kiss him, bite him, mark him as his own. His lips tasted of sweet wine and his skin was so smooth compared to his rough facial hair.

Jack so badly wants to open his eyes, he wants to see the handsome man that he is to claim as his own. He wants to marvel at his dusky tan skin and his perfect jawline and perfect cheekbones and his perfect hair, his perfect everything. But all that went through his mind is:

Closer.

He could hardly even keep his mind on their kissing, their lips slid against one another and pressed hard, their teeth biting and the tongues slipping into each others mouth, fighting, exploring, and feeling. He could feel his partners hands on him, tugging at his hair, pulling out moans from deep in his throat. He didn’t even know where his own hands were, they felt warm so that must mean they are on Gabe somewhere and that’s all that his sex deprived mind cares for.

At some point they lose their blazers, Jack fumbling with unbuttoning Gabe's shirt before the other just tears it off, the sound of buttons scattering on the floor causing Jack to only pause their kiss for a moment before he sits up, unbuttoning his own shirt with a devious look on his face.

“Don’t you dare ruin this shirt.” He pops open his shirt one by one, grinding his hips as he looks down at Gabe, biting his bottom lip that’s red and puffed up from making out.

The brunette groans, messaging the blond's hips as they move. “I ruined my own shirt because I didn’t want to be a tease yet here you are making me want you more.” He grips the blond's hips hard to get his point across.

The blond just licks his lips and pulls his shirt off, giving one last grind before kissing the other again and boy does he get one hell of a moan from it.

Gabe couldn’t help it, to see those creamy white abs move with his hips is pure sin. He breaks their kiss, pushing Jack up again as he stretches his arms above his head, giving the partner a taste of what he just had to see. Jack’s eyes fill with pure lust as they watch those powerful muscles ripple under wonderfully tanned skin.

“You just want to get back at me don’t you?”

“You bet I do, can’t wait to see you face when I’m pounding into you.”

Jack takes this chance to dive down and run his tongue across those glorious abs. It made the other shut up so the blond enjoyed licking, biting, leaving marks all over as the other just ran his hands through his hair. “I told you I would pay you back tonight.” The blond smirks before getting to the tent in Gabe's pants, freeing it as he undoes the button, sliding both his pants and underwear down so it springs up, fully erect and throbbing.

“Wow…. I love it.” Jack practically purrs before he takes it into his mouth, bobbing his head slowly as he makes it slick with his saliva.

“Shit... “ Is all that Gabe can really say as he moans, trying to keep his hips from bucking up as the other pays special attention to the head. He enjoys this, he really does but he wants to mate more than anything. He needed to be in Jack here and now.

It only takes a growl for the blond to understand and Jack licks his lips before straddling the other again, prepping himself with his own saliva before slowly going down on his mate, his own member touching his stomach, twitching as he takes the other in.

They both groan in pleasure, pausing for a moment to let Jack get used to the brunettes size before he starts to move. It starts with a slow up and down but soon enough Gabe’s hips are bucking up to meet his and Jack can’t keep quiet as he moans, his jaw hanging open as lewd sounds pour out.

No words need to be said, none can be said as Jack rides like the country boy he is, only moans and kisses.

Once Gabe had his fill of being the one pleased, he flips Jack over with a growl so that he’s on his knees, bent over for him as he pushes himself back inside in one hard thrust, getting a surprised and extra loud moan from the blond.

Gabe presses his chest against the others back as he thrusts, licking at Jacks bonding site at the curve of his neck. As he picks up his pace, Jack chants his partner's name as if his life depends on it, his hands fisting the sheets as he feels his climax approaching.

“Gabe I-” Is all he can get out before he feels teeth sink into his bonding site, the brunette pounding hard and fast in a frenzy to bring them both to climax.

Jack moans loudly, hoping the pillow in front of him can quiet him a little as he feels himself get filled up with his mate's seed. His own member twitching as he lets our string after string onto the sheets below him.

Gabe rolls over to Jacks side, gathering him close to that they face each other. “I love you…”

The blond smiles, panting a bit before he leans in for a soft kiss. “I love you too…”

The brunette gently licks at the bite he left. “Does it hurt?”

“A little bit.” Jack whispers, mostly because his vocal cords are tired from all his moaning.

Gabe tilts his head and exposes his bonding site to the other. “Here…”

Jack leans forward, wrapping his arms around the other before biting down, the two just holding each other close as they feel themselves connect, bond, they were now mates.

The blond pulls back and the two just smile and cuddle, whispering their love and affections before drifting off to sleep.

Finally, they were mates.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little flashback time! I've been having a hard time writing the next chapter (fight scenes are not exactly my specialty) so I've made this so you guys have something to read while I'm still writing. I think this next chapter will also be a bit long so thank you for waiting! c:

“Jack!” Gabe whispered loudly. “Jack wake up!”

The blond sits up and rubs his eyes before they shoot wide open at the sight of the boy hanging off a tree branch beside his window. “Gabe!” He rushes over and leans out the window. “What are ya doing here?”

“I just wanted to see you.” The brunette smiles.”Come down with me, let's just walk around.”

Jack blushes as the other holds out his hand before taking it, climbing down the tree with the other. “So where are we going?”

Gabe just starts walking “Just over to the hill. We can sit down when we’re there.”

The blond follows without question, but when they get to the hill there's a blanket laid out and a picnic basket in the middle.

“Surprise night picnic!” Gabe would laugh and sit down, patting the spot beside him for the other to sit.

Jack happily sits beside his best friend and his eyes sparkle when Gabe pulls out a bag of cookies. “Are ya supposed ta have those?”

The brunette shakes his head. “No, but this is a special occasion.”

Jack tilts his head in confusion. “It is?”

Gabe nods and pulls out a box. “Ta-da! Glow in the dark stars for your ceiling!”

Jack beams. “You bought it?”

The other nods proudly. “I saw you looking at them when we were walking around yesterday.”

Jack takes the box and hugs it to his chest, his first present from a friend. “I love it!”

Gabe smile proudly before looking up at the stars. “Even if you have these all the time I thought it might be nice for you to have them in your room too.”

Jack sets down the box and hugs the brunette. “Thank you… I’ve never got a present like this before.”

Gabe hugs back. “Well when I’m back in the city and you’re feeling alone, you can think of me with this.”

The blond nods, teary-eyed before he pulls back, stuffing his mouth with cookies so they can enjoy the starry night. There was a cool summers breeze and they sat close enough to feel each others warmth. It was a wonderful feeling, one that the both of them enjoyed until they felt it was time to head back.

Gabe helps Jack up before climbing up himself, the two climbing furniture and standing on each other's shoulders to put up all the stars. It may not be pretty as the ones outside but these held a meaning to the both of them, and they would lie down and stare up at them just the same.

 

“You remember that?” Jack would laugh as he picks up the dishes.

“Of course!” Gabe nods as he is handed over a plate to wash. “Do you still have the stickers up?”

The blond smiles fondly. “Yeah, how could I take them down?”

With the dishes aside Gabe faces the blond and wraps his arms around his waist. “You’re so cute…” He kisses the blond sweetly before kissing him all over his face.

Laughter bubbles up from Jack and he giggles at the playful affection. “But I’m manly now!”

Gabe gives a cheeky smile. “A manly cutie.”

The blond just rolls his eyes, sometimes he wonders how he never recognized his first love when he acts just the same way. “You’re still a child.”

The brunette raises a brow. “And you’re telling me you’re any different? The one who was so tired this morning that he wined for ten minutes before getting out of bed?”

“Shhh. Never happened.” The blond grins and the two laugh, just as happily and just as madly in love as back then.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! An action scene that isn't too bad I hope c: Some slight angst this chapter, some blood but nothing on the gore side towards the end of the chapter (just to warn anyone who wants to skip it)

It was sad to say goodbye. The whole Reyes family gave the two warm hugs with tear-filled eyes, knowing that the next time they will see each other will not be until the end of the war. They could only pray that time will happen soon and that neither men will lose their lives to get to that point.

It’s easy for them to feel relaxed on their way back to base, they have never been closer in all of their lives. As new mates they were practically newlyweds and being in the presence of each other alone brought them joy. As usual, they would play their music and sing along, doing little jigs in their seats and laughing. Feeling the others joy would only make them happier, making the long trip back a nice day to remember.

Once they get out of their vehicle, the whole squad is waiting for their orders, the serious atmosphere breaks almost instantly as they realize the two have become mates. It winds up being a congratulatory event before Gabe gets called to a meeting.

“Am I allowed to come?” Jack takes the brunette's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Gabe gives a reassuring squeeze back. “Yeah, but you should probably get the squad to training, make sure they didn’t slack off while we were gone.”

The blond smiles, giving his mate a quick peck on the cheek. “Alright. Don’t be too long.”

“It probably won’t be longer than an hour.” Gabe grins.

Boy was he wrong.

The meeting was to put together a final training mission for the squad before they are officially put into combat. The mission would consist of splitting into two teams, one which scouted the area and one which infiltrated the building to download any information possible onto a flash drive. A team of experienced soldiers have scouted this area specifically because it had lower defense and fewer guards, it was still an enemy base, just an easy one to get in and out of. Gabe argued over who would be put in what position, he knew his squad best after all. The only problem is he himself was not allowed to join the others, Jack had been chosen as the leader of this mission. As much as the Alpha trusted his mate, he cannot help but wish to be by his side on his first mission.

 

It was nightfall by the time Gabe got back, Jack was waiting in the kitchen with a covered up meal, his face going from worried to happy in an instant.

“What took so long?” The blond would get up from his seat, giving his mate a warm hug, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“You’re going to be leading a real mission tomorrow night. I’ll go over the details with the whole squad in the morning.” Gabe buries his face into the blonds tuft of hair, inhaling his scent to calm his nerves after hours of planning.

“Me?” Jack raises a brow in confusion. “Shouldn’t that be you?”

The two pull apart as Gabe walks over to the meal on the kitchen counter. “I’m going to be watching by the cameras in the building. We can hack them without those idiots knowing.”

Jack would lift himself up to sit on the counter as Gabe ate. “But why can’t you come?”

The brunette would point to his food as he chewed. “You cook like your mother, you know?”

The blonds eyebrows draw together in irritation “Don’t avoid the quest-”

Gabe shakes his head. “I’m not, I was just saying. The squad is supposed to learn to manage without their usual leader. Some of them will most likely get deployed to a different area. Sure you guys are my men but sometimes you guys will be needed in different places to fill in squads that have lost people until a new recruit is found for them.” He takes another bite, making sure to chew and swallow before he continued. “When I was in the meeting I could feel you get worried once I got angry.” He would smile and reach up to ruffle Jacks' hair. “Sorry.”

Jack would blush a little bit and smile. “Well it’s only natural to be worried about my mate isn’t it?”

Gabe nearly purrs as he wraps his arms around the blond and gives him a kiss. “I’m going to have to learn to control my anger if it’s going to make you this worried every time.”

Jack hums happily. “I think I can manage. I’m an alpha too, you know.”

The man chuckles. “Yeah but you’re a hell of a lot nicer than I am. The only two things that piss you off are people who don’t like farmers, and people who think they’re better than you.”

Jack slides off the counter to wash up the others dishes. “Three actually. People who insult you.”

Gabe snorts. “True, but you don’t look very scary doing my dishes like my mother.”

“You’re tired from the meeting! You can’t hide any feelings from me anymore, I’m just helping out so you can rest.” He grumbles, had wanted his good intentions to come across without having to say it.

“Aw, don’t pout Jackie.” Gabe coos as he hugs the other.

“Don’t coddle me! I’m your mate, not your child!” The Alpha growls and pushes the other away, only to get a laugh as they shoved their way into the bedroom.

It didn’t take them long to end their bickering as they prepared for the night, tangling into each other's arms as they lay in bed, only chatting for a bit before they drifted off to sleep.

 

When morning arrived the squad was gathered together, Gabe standing tall as he went over the plans for the night. The reactions were mixed, both excited and nervous. They were instructed to rest after preparation for the trip was complete. Sure they were finally able to get some real action but if they succeed this meant they would be deployed onto the battlefront within a week. As specially advanced soldiers they would be sent to the front lines too.

“You okay?” Gabe would stroke his mates hair as they laid in bed, giving him the occasional kiss on the forehead.

“Yeah just… Been a long time coming. Didn’t expect to fall in love before I head out to the battlefield.” Jack chuckles. “I feel like I have more reason to worry when I go into battle now.”

“Well, I’m no damsel in distress. I’ve been out there and I’ve come back to teach you and the whole squad how to handle it. You’ve all grown so much since you got here.”

“And I’ve grown to love you more and more.” Jack grins.

“That was so cheesy.” Gabriel snorts.

“And you love it.” The blond nuzzles into the other, feeling relaxed enough to go through with the mission tonight without problem.

 

It takes the squad an hour by car and another half hour by foot to reach their destination. They set up in an abandoned cabin close to the enemy base. Gabriel stays here to oversee everything while the squad spits up and heads in.

Before Jack's team goes out, the blond pulls Gabe into a kiss, crashing their lips together, showing the passion burning in his heart.

“I’ll be back.”

“You bet your ass you will be. I’ll be watching you after all.”

The two give a determined smile before Gabe watched his mate lead the team out, immediately going to his makeshift set up of computer screens. He was never the best when it came to hacking but after a certain genius decided to collaborate with the military, everything they have is high tech and something like hacking into the enemies cameras is nothing.

He puts on headphones and listens in to hear his mate giving orders.

“Team 1, go around the perimeter but come back to this point on my command. Team 2 and 3 follow me.” Jack rushes through a gap in the fencing, making sure everyone was right behind him as he went from one spot to the next, making sure there was not a single guard to spot them.

“Next is the hard part, we have to jump onto the roof, we’ve all done this in training so let's put it into action. Ready? Go!” Jack would sprint and leap with all of his might, managing to land on the roof on both feet. Some of the team did the same, others rolled and a few would grab onto the roof before hauling themselves up.

“Team 2 head to your designated lookout points. Team 3 keep following me.” The blond leads the group into the building through an air vent, making sure everyone stuck together, ready to pounce at any time.

Jack kneels down next to a vent and pours a generous amount of oil on each screw, not wanting to give away their position to rusty squeaking. After the panel is removed he does the process once more on the inner vent, snatching the panel out of the air before it falls to the floor. He doesn't waste any time jumping in, landing softly as he can with military boots, his head whipping around to check the surroundings. It was just how it was described, a single hallway with two sets of doors. One to the secret files and another to a presentation room, most likely used to go over big scale missions. The blond beacons the rest of the team to follow as he begins to type in the several digit code provided. He sighs in relief as the small blinking light turns green, if that code didn't work then they would have to turn back or blow the door open with explosives. Most likely the second option but it's irrelevant now.

Gabe watched his mate go through the enemy base with ease. If all went perfect, they will be able to get out just as easy. Sadly that wasn't the case. He spots a few trucks entering the facility, he directly speaks to the lookout down the road. “Beta 2, what are you doing? You're supposed to report any and all activity that interferes with the mission.”

He waits for a solid minute before he receives static. “Beta 2, are you all right?”

Another pause and more static.

“Shit.” The brunette growls and sends someone from base to check on Beta 2’s location before warning Jack.

“Jack, three trucks entering the facility t minus one minute. Hurry it up.”

The blond's eyes widen. “Shouldn't I have ten minutes? Fuck-” He starts looking through files faster. “One minute! Throw anything useless on the floor hurry it up!” The whole team frantically looks through the files and papers, disregarding how they leave the state of the floor.

“There no rhyme or rhythm to how these are organized!” One hisses.

“Maybe they have some stupid ass way so people like us can't find things that easy, we're kind of in the middle of a war.” Another grumbles as they throw file after file onto the floor.

Gabe worries as he senses his mates' anxiety rising. It's been more than a minute and the trucks were unloading. Two were full of soldiers, all suited up and armed. The third was most likely supplies, boxes filled with rations and weapons of various sorts.

“Jack hurry up they're entering the building.” The blond growls. “I know we-”

“Found it!” One of the team raises the file in triumph before they all gather, making sure the files are what they're looking for.

“File received, retreating now.” Jack sighed with relief before tensing as he gripped the door handle. There were people walking right outside the door. Not just one or two, it seemed like the whole facility was walking past them to enter the auditorium across from them.

Before Jack could even suggest waiting it out, the sound of beeps and boops could be heard as someone from the other side unlocked the door. Out of panic, and the need to buy time, Jack pulls the door so it stays shut.

“Plan B. Team two, be ready to pull us up, team one get ready by the exit to assist with some firepower.” After hearing confirmation from both teams he turns to his own team. “We're busting out of here before they forcibly open this door.” He grunts with effort as a group of people on the other side try to pry it open. “I'm going to plow through everybody and use my pheromones to make them afraid. It should work for a minute at least to get back on the roof. Ready?” With an agreement made, they all nodded.

“One...Two...Three!” Jack roars as he shoves the door open as hard as he can, his scent filling the hallway, turning the air cold with his power and intent to kill. The enemy was caught off guard and Jack took this opportunity to run through the crowd, plowing down anyone in his way to the vent. The rest of the team followed, landing hits at every opportunity. The other team was able to pull up everyone as Jack fought off anyone around him. He's about to pull himself up when he realizes that not everyone got up.

A single beta had gotten caught by the only alpha here aside from Jack, and they were trembling as they were pinned to the ground in an unfortunate position with a knife to his neck. There was no way in hell he would leave a man behind.

“Get off!” Jack demanded as he launched himself at the other alpha, biting their hand to release the knife. By this time a lot of the other betas have returned to their senses and were hitting Jack, ganging up on him to keep him down. As soon as another touched his teammate, he roared in outrage, striking fear into them once more as he tore the betas off him, throwing them into the crowd to knock more of them down. He quickly picks up his teammate and jumps to escape, wincing as the other alpha throws his knife, hitting him in the back.

Gabe tenses both when he sees the Alpha throw the knife and when he feels his mates pain. Just as he turns to exit, the other commanding officer with him stands in his way.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” The brunette growls, his scent already pissed off and lashing out.

“This is their mission. You're not supposed to interfere.”

“But my mate-!”

“And you two won't always be together when he is promoted as an Officer as well. You may not even be based in the same state, let alone country.” The women states, only pissing the male off more.

“You may be ranked higher than me but because of how the military fucked up, I get a say in how I run things. I'm also in charge of the Soldier Enhancement Program so nobody no matter what rank tells me what to do with my men.”

The woman swallows hard at the intensity of his rebuttal and clears her throat. “T-Then I guess there is no problem. I only said what is taught to our normal soldiers.”

As soon as she steps away, Gabe gives her one last glare before he hops on top of the roof, assembling a rifle in seconds before he looks through the scope to check on his squad.

Once on the roof, the newly arrived enemy is waiting for Jack and the others to jump off, guns ready. The beta he saved helps him with the knife, thanking him as he presses a large band-aid to the wound, the best thing they could do in the meantime.

“Team one in position?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jack rubs his chin before speaking. “Let's pick off who we can from our position, make an opening. Once we do let's rush through and team one can provide cover fire.”

After a few minutes of shooting and hiding, everyone starts to see the enemy getting shot down one by one.

“Sniper! Three o’clock!” One shout and the blond smiles.

“Gabes got our back, hurry!”

They all do their best to make a path but there just seems to be more to fill in the blanks each time. Frustrated now that a few of them have been snagged in the arm or shoulder, Jack growls.

“New plan. Bit more dangerous but we got this.” Jack instructs everybody into position and on the count of three they all jump down, team one starting to shoot, surprising the enemy from behind. Jack plows through whoever's left and circles back to make sure everyone would make it. He feels a boost of confidence everyone would make it when they all reached the first team, starting their retreat.

But there's no way it could end that perfectly. Just as Jack rounds up the end once more he feels a burning pain to his leg and falls to his knees. With all the sound around, the squad didn't notice except for a few slow injured that he gestured to move forward.

Jack takes cover as he treats his wound quickly, glad the rest of the squad were assured safety at this point. He stands again, doing his best to ignore the pain as he ran. He's had worse with the broken experimental machine. The pain wasn't much of a problem even when a sniper gets his other leg, causing him to crumple to the ground.

“Fuck! Legs come on! This is nothing!” He ties up the next leg hastily and sloppy but for now, he must retreat. His legs shake and fumble around, causing him to trip and fall, crawling away more than anything at this point. A string of curses leaves his lips before he sees an explosion take place in the enemy's facility.

Gabe was beyond pissed, once he ran out of ammo he ran down to help only to find out they made a run for it. He was about to turn back to join them when he heard the sniper and felt his mates pain. Spotting the sniper he grabs the bumper of a nearby truck, lifting it with a grunt in effort. He hears another shot and feels Jacks pain once more as he lifts the vehicle over his head.

“DIE!” Was all he snarls as he hurls the truck at the sniper, the next bullet hitting the gas tank and exploding, sending enough shrapnel to kill anyone in a twenty-foot radius.

Satisfied with the state they left the place, burning to hell, Gabe runs off to find his mate.

“Jack!” He shouted once he picked up the scent.

“Gabe!” He could hear faintly, his legs going from a light jog to a sprint instantly.

He finds the blond sitting up against a tree, blood, and sweat soaking his clothes. But there was that bright smile on his face. “Mission accomplished.”

Gabe would have punched him if he wasn't already hurt. “You fucking idiot, what are you, a wall? You can't just run over everyone. Why didn't you call anyone else to help you? Why are you smiling when you have a bullet in each goddamn leg?!”

Jack stands up only to falter, Gabe catching the blond in his arms only to realize he did this on purpose to get a hug. “I'm alive, everybody is alive. We're hurt but we can heal. And you're here.” Jack softens his voice. “My mate is here for me.”

Gabe doesn't realize he has tears in his eyes until his vision was so blurred he couldn't see straight. He rubs them away before picking up the blond bridal style. “Let's get you home.”

Jack smiles up at him lovingly, wrapping his arms around Gabe's neck. “I'd like that.” They exchange a soft, lingering kiss, just glad to be together despite the circumstance they were in. They overcame something today, and it wasn't just the battle. The two confirmed in their hearts that they were going to fight together rather than apart. Because even if they die together in battle, it's better then if they each died alone. But also, together, nothing could stand in their way.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this may wind up to be two or three more chapters? 3 or 4 maybe? I'm grateful to everybody whos been sticking along this far!

Just like a pack of wolves, the squad surrounds Jack and Gabe when they arrive, all worried without their alphas around. Jack tried to convince everyone that he was okay as the medics pulled bullets from his legs, trying to keep on a smile through the whole procedure.

When they arrived back at their base the high ranking officers were waiting in a line. As soon as the squad lined up, they were congratulated on their mission despite the unexpected circumstance.

“You all took advantage of whatever was around you and used it to the fullest. You planned quickly and took action fast. And most of all you all fought your way through and lived to tell the tale.”

The woman giving the speech went up to Jack and put a hand on his soldier. “You showed that you are a true leader, even sacrificing your well being to make sure the other injured got back safely. After this day, not only will you be a full-fledged soldier, but an officer.” She steps back and smiles. “You may now refer to him as Officer Morrison. He will lead alongside Officer Reyes until further notice.”

The squad cheers before they disperse, going to their dorms for rest or to the medics if needed. Gabe carried Jack back to their room, careful when he lies him down.

“Are you sure you don't want to check in with the medics again?” The brunette strokes the blond's hair worriedly.

“They cleaned and sewed me up, all I have to do is heal.” Jack smiles and tugs Gabe's shirt down to give him a soft kiss. “I just want to sleep right now.”

The brunette complies to his mate, lying down next to him. “Fine. We're getting some food in you and cleaning you up first thing tomorrow.” He only receives a hum in response, but that was good enough for him.

Over the next few weeks, the squad would take turns visiting and helping Jack get around. One of these times, the blond wheeled himself over to the chicken farm without being seen on his way over. Gabe was about to scold him after an hour of searching, but he couldn't bring himself to do it when Jack was lying face up with chickens sitting all over him. It was a funny sight and Jack just looked so… at home.

On multiple occasions Jack would be lifting weights, not wanting to get behind on his training. Or rather he would try only for Gabe to stop him, wanting him to completely rest. As punishment, the brunette gave his mate a dinner of plain lettuce salad with a single cherry tomato in it. When the blond complained it wasn’t enough to fill his stomach, the brunette added a single crouton and he resisted those big blue puppy eyes to get his point across. Gabe even came back three minutes after he left one day to check, catching the blond in the act before placing the weights on a shelf so high, he wouldn't be able to reach them until he healed.

Once the medics finally gave him permission to start walking around, the squad invited him out to the karaoke bar, it’s a weird thing to have in their small fake town but one of the officers insisted it should be there for entertainment. It was pleasant to see everybody enjoying themselves, singing out loud no matter how terrible, sometimes doing so on purpose just to have some fun.

Jack and Gabe were persuaded into doing a duet of Abba’s Dancing Queen, the squad cheering and joining in like is was some professional concert. Gabe even brought Jacks acoustic to play, singing Jack a cheesy love song that brought the blond to tears and even got a standing ovation.

“I’m not too bad, eh?” The brunette would plop down into his space next to his mate, chuckling as he’s hugged.

“You sang in front of the whole squad for me, it was so sweet!” Jack nuzzles against Gabe's neck in appreciation, receiving a kiss on the forehead in return.

As it grew later into the night, the fun started to wind down once everybody grew tired, the brunette would lazily kiss Jacks mating mark, enjoying every shiver and whimper he got from it.

“Gabe…” The blond looks at the other with pleading eyes and soon enough the two leave for the night, making their way to their bedroom slowly, Jack holding onto Gabe now and then as his legs wobbled here and there.

“I still walk like a newborn cow…” The blond grumbles as he sinks onto the bed, letting out a dejected sigh.

The brunette crawls on top of the other, being mindful of his injuries as he places a soft kiss on his lips, warm and loving. “Just because you’re allowed to walk now doesn't mean you’re going back to normal right away. Just give it a few days.” Before the other could complain about it anymore he kisses him again, for a while this time.

As soon as Jack rests his hands on his mates hips, their lips begin to press harder, gliding against each other more and more passionately. The air grows heavy as their lustful pheromones fill the room, and ever so gently, Gabe moves up so he’s straddling the other, not wanting to touch the bandages over his mate's legs. The blond becomes extremely grabby, making it hard for the other to remove clothes so they settle on just taking their pants off and pushing down their underwear, not caring if lube got onto the sheets.

“How about I make you feel better?”

“In what way?” Jack raises a brow but licks his lips, already knowing what Gabe was going to do in this position.

The brunette rubs his behind against his mate's erection, smiling when the blond's fingers dig into his hips impatiently. “Don’t play dumb, I know you know.” He leans down to kiss Jack feverishly, breaking the kiss to let out a gasp as he sinks down onto his mate.

Jack bucks his hips and Gabe holds the blond down with a vice grip. “Be patient, I’m doing all the work tonight.”

“You think I can hold back when I’m already inside you like this? I’d bend you over and fuck you senseless if I could.” The blond pulls his mate down for a hot kiss. “If you plan on having full control tonight I suggest you hurry up before I lose it.”

Gabe let’s out a soft moan as he begins to move, his grip on the bond tightens when he picks up his pace, as much as he wanted to enjoy this, he wasn’t going to send Jack back to the infirmary because of this. If the wounds open up their bed will look like a murder scene rather than a place where they made love.

“Fuck… Gabe, I know you can go harder babe, give it to me please…” The blond licks at the others mating mark, knowing it will help persuade the other to stop treating him like a piece of glass.

The brunette was determined to hold back but when he feels the blond bite down on his mark he slams his hips down hard, his hips moving at a brutal pace until they reach their climax together, their bond exploding with pleasure like fireworks.

“I love you…” They whisper softly to each other, lying down together as they bask in the afterglow, all the more clingy now that their hearts were overflowing with nothing but affection for one another.

Gabe takes care of the cleaning up and Jack makes small conversation as he watches his mate. He can’t help but feel bad that he can’t help but he’s touched that Gabe has been helping him with every little thing without complaint since he got hurt.

He promised to himself that he wouldn’t get hurt like that again because he hated to look into his mates eyes and see an ounce of pain. Guilt crawled in his stomach and it caused the brunette to walk over and give him a kiss on the forehead.

“Don’t just stare at me, tell me what’s wrong.” Gabe crawls onto the bed, hugging his mate close to comfort him.

The blonds heart flutters at the sweet action. “I just don’t want to make you worry the next time we go out to battle.” Jack kisses his mate softly, nuzzling into his scruff. “I know that we can’t go through life being happy all the time but I don’t want to see that look in your eyes again… It’s as if you thought you had lost me.”

The burnette sighs. “Well I knew you weren't dead but I was scared that you were dying when I watched the sniper shoot. I might have been able to take him out before the second shot if I used my gun but…” Gabe turns his face away with embarrassment. “I uh… Lifted a truck off the ground and uh… threw it at him so that he would explode.”

Considering it was the first time he heard of the story, he could only blink in surprise. “That explosion was you?”

Gabe nodded. “Well, technically he’s the one that shot the gas tank but…” His face grew more serious. “When I knew who it was that hurt you I couldn’t just let them off with a bullet to the head.” He holds the blond a bit tighter. “Sure he was so close he probably still died fast but… Something in me wanted him to suffer first.”

Jack frowns. “I understand how you felt, I felt it and I don’t think I can say I would be any different. Even the thought of someone hurting you makes me want to bite the hypothetical persons head off.”

“Well at least being together we won’t have to separate, we can have each other's backs.” The brunette smiles and the blond beams.

“We’ll be a lot better when we can cover each other.” Jack laughs giddily at the thought of having his mate beside him in battle. “You better not take any bullets for me or I’ll give you a salad with only one tomato.”

The brunette laughs. “What about one crouton?”

“Nope! That tomato’s all you get!” Jack laughs as the two move into a lighter conversation, talking about what they want to do after the war. Marriage was definitely on their minds and even with possible death looming above them, they talked in a way that they were sure they were going to survive this.

Without a doubt, they were going to be the ones to end this war. Right now they didn’t know how, they didn’t know if it was possible, but they were going to make it possible. Sure it was partly to save their country and all that but their main season was just plain selfish. They wanted to be able to go home and have the wedding of their dreams. It didn’t matter how many enemy bases they were going to blow up. They were going to walk down that aisle and have their happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Not sure how long this series will last or how often I will update but I hope some of you stick along!  
> 


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